In Silence We Walk
by redfeathersky
Summary: AU: The search attempt to find the first horcrux fails horribly ending up with Hermione's wand snapped and the trio sent by direct rout strait to Azkaban where they are held for two years. The threat of insanity is only the first step. They need out
1. Breaking Chains

**In Silence We Walk **

**Disclaimer: ** I do not own the rights to Harry Potter or any of its characters.

**Breaking Chains**

"Harry," She whispered stretching her pale bony fingers through the bars, "Harry, please, answer me."

He shivered uncontrollably every limb feeling heavy and painful as pins and needles shot through them. His bright green eyes were open as widely as they could go as he convulsed on the hard, cold, damp, stone floor. His breathing shuddered against his ribs and cold sweat matted his black hair to his forehead.

"Ron," She pleaded, "Can you reach him?"

A thin bony white arm slipped though the bars on the other side of the cell and padded the ground around it as far as they could reach. The knuckles were scarred and the nails were chipped and broken.

"I can't 'Mione," Ron's voice filtered through the eerily quiet corridor, "He should come out of it soon. They're done with their patrols for the night…At least he isn't screaming anymore."

As if talking about it helped him Harry's heavy breathing began to calm down. The sound that echoed off the stone walls a moment ago was quieting down. He still shivered but the convulsions began to lessen and his muscles began to still. He began to become aware of the cold wet fabric of his striped stained shirt and pants. His green eyes began to focus and he shivered once more as he realized just how cold he was.

He moaned, "Ron? 'Mione?" His voice scratched against his vocal cords, the result of hours of screaming.

"We're here mate." The roughened hand beckoned on the right side of the cell.

Harry dragged himself across the floor grasping the callused hand of his brother. He clasped the hand to his forehead exhausted.

"Merlin Harry," Ron breathed tiredly, "You're ice!"

"I assure you," Harry croaked, "If I were ice, you would know."

A breathy chuckle answered Harry. The sound was tired and filled with sorrow. It held Harry tightly to the harsh reality of the hell he and his friends were in. Harry let Ron's hand fall from his fingertips and it withdrew back behind the cold wall that separated their cells.

"Harry, are you lucid?" Hermione asked quietly from the other cell to Harry's left.

"For the moment," He said a dry chuckle hovering at his lips.

"Then you know what we need to do." Hermione said quietly.

Harry's gaunt face grew serious and he stood shakily listening as the other two stood as well. He moved to the center of the cell and bit his thumb until he drew precious blood. He sat down shuddering in the center of the floor and pushed the thumb to the floor of his cell. Slowly he dragged the thumb in a circle around him renewing the red stain that sat silently on the floor. He closed his eyes breathing carefully as he thought of warm sun beams, open skies with a gentle breeze and the green smell of grass. He thought solely upon these things, these pieces of freedom that he had lost months ago. He thought of them until he swore he could feel the heat of the sun on his clammy skin and hear the whisper of the wind as it flowed through the trees.

"Good job Harry," A pair of warm arms encircled him from behind and Harry leaned back into Hermione's warm embrace smiling quietly.

"We're getting better at this," Ron said as he joined the hug and Harry turned so that he could encircle his arms around both of his friends.

"Our bodies?" Harry asked moving out of the embrace, "Have they fallen asleep yet?"

Hermione shook her head, "In a few moments they will be completely asleep. You know it takes a while."

Harry nodded relishing in the warm sunlight and the scratchy feel of grass beneath his bare toes. He pulled off his shirt and lay down in the grass closing his yes briefly and allowing his tight muscles to relax. This place the three of them may have built within their minds was not real, per say, but it was their refuge and the mind was a powerful thing.

"Harry," Hermione prodded his bare side with a finger, "I'm sorry, I know you want to recover from the Dementors but right now we have work to do."

Harry sighed, "I know," He sat up, "Have you found it yet? You're totem?"

Hermione shook her head, "I thought I glimpsed it last night in the trees but I could only glimpse its shadow. It was flying. Ron?"

Ron smiled secretively at his friends and shook his head, "I saw it, but I want to get a closer look at it before I tell you what it is." He grinned broadly at the two of them, "I can tell you though, it's not a weasel."

Harry and Hermione grinned back.

"Harry?" Hermione asked, "Have you?"

"No." Harry stated, "Not even a glimpse."

"You'll find it mate," Ron said clapping Harry on the back, "It's only a matter of time."

"Well then," Harry stood dusting off his prison cell pants, "We'd best get too it. We only have five hours until the Dementors start their patrols again."

He took a few steps forward and almost fell. Hermione and Ron braced him and he smiled sadly at them.

"This might just be a dream but I still feel so weak." He sighed, "Maybe that's why I'm having more trouble then you guys at finding my totem."

Hermione shook her head, "Physical well being has little to nothing to do with it. Harry we've been in Azkaban half a year. You're mind is starting to finally break down." Her brown eyes were filled with worry as she regarded Harry.

"Then I have to hurry." He stated grinning darkly.

Hermione and Ron looked at each other fear for their friend clouding their eyes and drawing lines upon their brows. Harry gently touched their hands and moved away from them toward the dark forest that loomed in front of them.

He turned to regard Hermione and Ron with a wide grin, "Happy hunting."

After a moment of uncertainty Hermione and Ron smiled at Harry, "You too." Hermione said.

They watched Harry enter the woods and then followed each going their own way once they entered.

The sound of his mother's screaming ripped Harry out of the forest. His back arched as pain shot from his forehead through his spine. He fell out of the circle to writhe on the ground clutching his forehead. His mouth was opened wide as he screamed in terror and anguish. The bars of the cell grew ice on them as three Dementors swept up to Harry's cell to feast on his despair.

Hermione closed her eyes and clutched a thin scratchy grey blanket to her shoulders as she leaned against the wall that separated their cells. She leaned her head back upon the cold stone. Tears that froze upon her bony cheeks fell out of her eyes as she listened to his screams.

Ron too leaned against the wall separating him and Harry. His eyes stared determinedly at the wall opposite him. One leg was bent at the knee and a fist rested stiffly upon it. His body was tense and the blanket that he should have been using sat unoccupied upon his bed. He was unshaven, his hair a nest of long red tangles. He listened unmoving and without expression as the new day began.

"I found it," Hermione sat down upon the grass and rolled up the striped sleeves of her shirt, "My totem, it's beautiful."

Harry's eyes would dart at her when she spoke. Hermione feared the dark circles beneath his eyes were becoming permanent.

"What is it?" Harry asked his voice had grown week, tired.

Hermione smiled secretly and looked at the forest raising an arm. A large dark shape flew out of the trees silently. It circled the trio that were sitting in the sun and rested gently upon her arm. The brown spotted Owl caulked its head and regarded Harry and Ron with a deep knowing penetrating its yellow eyes.

"My Totem," Hermione smiled, "I'm half way there."

Harry smiled at her and Ron reached out a finger to stroke the dark brown and grey feathers of the bird.

"I suppose if we asked you to, you'd send messages for us?" Ron teased.

The Owl nipped Ron's hand and he drew back with a yelp holding his offended fingers to his chest.

"I think the answer to that would be no." Hermione grinned.

Harry held out his arm and the owl regally stepped onto it wrapping its powerful talons around the whole of his forearm. Hermione looked away knowing without a doubt that all of them really were that thin.

Harry stroked the breast of the owl and it crooned gently for him, "She suits you 'Mione."

The Owl spread its wings and silently leapt from Harry's bony forearm to soar back to the forest. The trio watched it fly wistfully wishing for the freedom it naturally possessed.

He didn't scream this time. He couldn't, even if he wanted to. The tears came, they always came, but this time they were silent. He couldn't move…couldn't speak. He just opened his eyes to see not the grey stone above him, but the hell that was memory. He was re-living the deaths of the people he loved, knew. Sirius, falling through the veil. Cedric never had a chance. His mother, her screams held him captive through it all. Then those eyes, terrible snake eyes that shone like blood beneath a full moon…And all of these things…they were all the result of him existing.

"Let me die," He croaked, "Please, let me die."

Hermione moved from her dismal cot toward the bars listening. Her small hands wrapped around the metal of her cell and her pale forehead fell against it.

"Ron," She said quietly her voice filled with the despair that permeated the air, "He's getting worse."

She stared hatred at the Dementors memorizing their bony figures beneath flowing smoky robes.

"I know 'Mione," Ron stated across the cells doing the same as she, "I know."

A burst of hysterical laughter rang from the cell between them and the two friends of Harry Potter closed their eyes in dread.

"Do you want to know what my totem is?" Ron asked the small group sitting in the grassy field of their dream sanctuary.

Hermione ran her fingers through Harry's matted hair. Said boy lay with his head in her lap staring unblinkingly into nothingness. He'd become practically catatonic within the past three weeks. Hermione and Ron had literally pulled his consciousness into their dream world. They no longer needed to spill blood to get there. The trio were linked in a way none of them could understand. They merely had to think about their sanctuary and there they were, within the gentle breeze and clear, sunny, skies of their mind.

"I would like to know," Hermione said after glancing at the unresponsive Harry.

"It's a stallion." Ron grinned, "A big reddish brown stallion. I don't even bloody like horses," He laughed, "Can you believe it?"

Hermione smiled, "Better that then a mule."

Ron opened his mouth to protest at the hinted insult but stopped and looked at Harry. A small smile played on his otherwise stoic lips. The first either young adult had seen in weeks.

"I suppose I am a little mulish aren't I?" Ron asked quietly.

The screaming from Harry's cell was particularly bad that evening. Hermione ran to the doors of her cell and screamed over Harry.

"Ron!" Her voice was desperate.

These screams were different somehow then the others. He'd been catatonic for a month since that last smile. Nothing had penetrated his mind. He'd drawn completely within himself. In the sanctuary he'd wander unresponsive to anything Hermione or Ron would do or say. These screams though…Hermione and Ron knew he was about to break.

"Ron!_ Now_!" Hermione shed her blanket and slammed her palms against the bars of her cage desperately, "We can't wait any longer!"

Tears were falling freely from her eyes as she concentrated reaching out at Harry's retreating mind through the tentative link she shared with him. She heard a loud animalistic squeal coming from Ron's cell and the sound of something hard and heavy crashing against the bars. She didn't wait for the clatter of metal as she grabbed onto Harry's struggling mind.

"Don't you dare Harry!" She yelled angrily, desperately.

Her mind clung to Harry's with a vice like stubbornness that left no room for argument. Every ounce of her being was screaming at him not to leave her. She forced the peaceful image of the sanctuary through their link, felt him stop, turn toward its warm sunny fields and flee into them.

Hermione let go allowing him into that world knowing he'd expect her there waiting for him but knowing she couldn't yet join him. She dethatched herself from Harry, slamming back into her own mind in time to see a large tawny stallion rearing at the bars of her cell. She stumbled backwards running to the far corner of her cell as the stallions large hooves crashed into the metal. The Dementors were flying around in confusion sweeping at the Stallion not understanding what it was. It reared again ignoring the wraiths in favor of knocking down the bars of her cell.

With one last animalistic scream the stallion's hooves finally made the walls holding the bars buckle. The bars fell with a defining crash and Hermione didn't have time to think as her body folded in on itself and changed from a thin malnourished human woman into a small beautiful brown spotted owl. She soared around Ron and hovered in front of the bars holding Harry captive. Several Dementors were bending over Harry; their hoods had been pushed back showing off the hideous gaping hole where mouths should have been.

Hermione screamed in fury turning her body so that she could fly through the bars of the cell. Her small aerial body made painful contact with the bars. She was still too large to fly through them. She screamed again in frustration. A Dementor reached out its bony fingers to grab onto Hermione. She swerved to avoid it instead flying at the creatures face with her talons raised. Her claws sunk into a cold unlike anything Hermione could ever put into words. She squawked in surprise pulling herself away from the creature as fast as her wings would carry her.

The stallion thundered toward Harry's Cell ramming his large body against the bars. He reared on his hind legs and slammed all of his weight onto the bars three times until the door to the cell buckled and fell. Hermione wasted no time in swooping into the cell and ramming herself at the three Dementors surrounding Harry. The cold she experienced as a result froze her hollow limbs and made her fall clumsily to the floor where she transformed herself on instinct back into a human.

Ron pounded his way into the room causing the Dementors to stop their kiss and scatter. Hermione shakily pushed herself up and shuffled to Harry. He was cold, so unbelievably cold. Hermione feared for the worst. She checked the link in her mind and breathed a deep sigh of relief that the Dementors had failed in their kiss. She could feel him there, hovering with uncertainty at the edges of the sanctuary. Hermione lifted Harry up into a sitting position and draped his arm over her shoulders.

"Ron!" She yelled.

He turned and fell fluidly from the towering form of a stallion to a frail human. He rushed over and helped Hermione lift Harry onto his own back.

"Can you transform with him on your back like this?" Hermione asked breathlessly.

The oxygen in the room was thinning the colder it got as more Dementors began to swarm into the small cell. Hermione and Ron's limbs were beginning to feel heavy and their determination was beginning to falter.

"I don't know!" Ron growled, "These blasted Dementors are messing with my head!!"

"Then you can!" Hermione ground out, "If they are making you feel like you can't do it then you definitely can. Try!"

Ron stared into Hermione's eyes, still stubbornly determined despite all the fear and despair she was feeling. He nodded once.

"Hold him to me will you?" Ron asked.

Hermione moved behind Ron and wrapped her arms around Harry and Ron nodding against the back of Harry's unresponsive head. A spell hit the wall behind them and Hermione knew without a doubt that the human guards had finally arrived to see what the disturbance was.

"Hurry Ron," Hermione warned.

Ron nodded concentrating. Hermione found she and Harry were moving upwards as Ron grew beneath her fingertips. His shirt turned to a silky hide that was hard to grasp onto. Her fingers, along with Harry, were slipping.

"Ron..!" Hermione yelled as Ron suddenly shot up beneath her.

For one terrible moment Hermione thought she and Harry were flying and then they crashed hard onto Ron's large back. It was all Hermione could do to keep herself from falling off let alone keeping Harry on Ron's back. She was vaguely aware of the shouts of guards and the cold in her finger tips. All that mattered was staying on Ron and keeping Harry from falling. She somehow pushed Harry and herself into sitting positions straddling the stallions back. She could barely remember how she did it as she grabbed onto Ron's red mane, she only knew they were in the right position to be balanced and that they needed to book it if they wanted to get out of Azkaban alive.

"Go!" Hermione screamed and Ron lurched forward beneath her.

She grabbed Ron's mane tighter and clenched her jaw trying to stay balanced as Ron thundered through the Wizards and Dementors that were after them. She grabbed a sconce from the wall they passed and began using it as a blunt object slamming it into the skull of whoever got close enough to try to grab her or Harry.

She didn't look back at their pursuers as they continued down the twisting corridors of the prison. Gaunt confused and insane faces watched them pass without so much as a flicker of surprise. Hermione shuddered knowing that Harry was most likely going to end up like one of them. She clutched him more tightly to her.

When they entered the Prison's storage room Hermione leapt off of Ron's back and grabbed a chair smashing it against the lock that held the prisoners' things captive. The metal links buckled upon the first strike. Years of cold had made the chains brittle and easily breakable. Hermione grinned grimly and hurriedly grabbed a bag shoving clothing into it and pilfering through looking for Ron and Harry's wands.

She found their wands and shoved them into the bag as well then ran her fingers over the other wands until she found one that felt suitable enough for her to use. Her wand had been snapped on account that she was muggle born and therefore a "thief" of magic. She was vaguely surprised Harry's wand was there as his wand was wanted by Voldemort.

The door was blasted off its hinges and Hermione ran to scramble back onto Ron's back. She tied the bag to her waist and then to Harry's waist. Hopefully that way she could use both hands to hold onto Ron instead of one. The wand she'd stolen for herself was clutched in her teeth. Ron didn't wait for her to get settled as he leaped at the two guards at the door. He ran head first with teeth bared into flying cutting hexes and useless stupefies. A multitude of thin cuts adorned his face and neck as he trampled over the soft human flesh of the wizard guards. He didn't pause as he shot toward the entrance of Azkaban.

Hermione pulled the wand she'd stolen out of her mouth and waved it in a complicated pattern around Ron. The air shimmered and distorted around them for a moment before fading. Her mouth turned downward in a grim frown as she readied the wand in front of her. She was going over the many hundreds of defensive spells she had learned or taught herself nearly two years ago before they were caught at the ministry and thrown into Azkaban Prison. She fervently hoped that she wasn't rusty after two years of not practicing with a wand.

As the entrance approached Hermione's breath hitched. There stood two Wizards that were fervent followers of the dark lord. She could tell their status by the skull masks they wore hiding their faces. They watched the large stallion and his charges approach with slowly growing grins of anticipation.

"Keep running Ron," Hermione commanded, "I'll get that door open. Just ignore the bastards in front."

She said it, but she didn't completely believe it would ever be easy to get past them. Death Eaters would not stop at simple hexes and stunning spells. They would be prepared to kill the prisoners without mercy. Hermione hugged Harry to her with one arm and made the shielding motion with her wand once again this time just around Harry. If anyone had to survive this, it would be him. She knew the prophecy, Harry had told her and Ron after they'd been incarcerated in the prison. They both knew that they had to get him out of this place if he were going to fulfill that prophecy. Well, if he was going to be sane enough to do so at least.

Ron thundered across the stone floor without pause as Hermione shot two powerful stupefies at the Death Eaters. They leapt to the side avoiding her curse shooting curses of their own. Ron swerved to avoid them and Hermione focused on opening the large heavily padlocked door. Hermione threw one cutting curse after another into the wooden beams that glanced across the front of the door. Ron stumbled as a curse slammed into the shield that Hermione had placed around him. Hermione angrily shot a blasting hex at the Death Eater in retaliation. The blasting hex missed the Death Eater but glanced the side of one of the beams shattering the wood.

With a heavy creak the large beam began to slip sideways out of its holding. Hermione's eyes lit up on discovering that the blasting hex could do so much damage to the aged wood. The two Death Eaters looked at the beam, then at her. She raised her arm to fire off another blasting hex just as the Death Eaters threw a bludgeoning hex her way. Hermione screamed as the hex slammed into her shield and threw Harry and her off of Ron. She hit the floor in a cloud of dust and scrambled to untie herself from Harry. Ron reverted to his human Form and dove at Hermione pushing her flat to the ground as a sickly violet curse flew over her head. She untied the bag and reached in handing Ron his or Harry's wand, she wasn't sure.

The two stood summoning shields around themselves and positioning themselves in front of Harry.

"Focus on the door as much as you can," Hermione commanded.

Ron nodded, "Right, Blasting or bludgeoning hex?"

"Blasting," Hermione stated slipping into a dueling stance slowly.

"What about these two?" Ron asked.

"You take one and I'll take one, but keep at the door if you can." Hermione answered.

"Ok." He nodded and leapt at the Death eater closest to him.

Hermione stayed in front of Harry making sure the shield she'd placed around him was still strong. She waited for the other Death Eater to make his move. He moved slowly chuckling as he came knowing she was in a vulnerable position considering she had to protect Harry's catatonic form.

She brought up her wand brandishing it as a knife and not taking her eyes off the Death Eater approaching her. Then one step and her arm fell in a deadly slice leaving behind a trail of dark blue. The Death Eater dodged the magic as it crashed into the stone floor feet behind him leaving a long violent gash in the stone. He countered with a slicing hex of his own. Hermione twirled moving her wand up the length of her body as she turned causing a violent wind to surround her and diffuse the hex.

She fell out of the wind slamming the wand on the ground sending waves of ice at the man's feet. He stumbled and slipped as the ice grew into sharp spikes along the floor. Hermione wasted no time jumping to her feet and sending a torrent of water from her wand at the Death Eater. He sliced downward cutting the torrent in half and sent another slicing hex at Hermione. She ducked the ends of her hair dropping to the cold floor.

She concentrated on his robes shrinking them and constricting the movement of the Death Eater's legs. She jumped up moving a little to the side to avoid whatever curse he threw at her and threw a bludgeoning curse at him. It hit his shield causing him to first stumble then slip on the ice falling backward onto the icy spikes Hermione had made then strengthened with her water. The ice impaled him and he screamed.

Hermione yelled, "expelliarmis" and grabbed his wand snapping it then throwing it to the ground. She ignored the cursin, writhing man in favor of blasting the door open. She was counting on the fact that there were boats in the harbor. If there weren't…Hermione shied away from that thought deciding determinedly that they'd have to figure out something else if it came to that.

A scream to her left caused her to realize that Dementors were just now flowing into the large entrance room. She turned around to see Harry's body arched awkwardly over the ground and a Dementor swooping down from the rafters toward him. She ran over to Harry and fell over him taking his head in her hands and looking directly into his eyes.

"Go back!" She screamed pushing him into their sanctuary with all the panic she could muster.

The cold at her back gripped her and a pain unlike any other stabbed up her spine and into the core of her being. Her head shot back to scream but no sound was coming out. She stared into the black pit that was a Dementor's gaping maw. She felt light and heavy at the same time. The sound of her heartbeat within her chest was the loudest sound she'd ever heard. It was detached as though it was no longer a part of her. She could feel Ron and Harry's alarm as distant as it was but could not understand why she had become so light.

Fear, pain, cold, despair…the emotions and feelings were falling away with the remains of her body. She couldn't see any longer but she could feel. The resonating world around her was amazing. Everything had an energy that swirled and danced. The very air was a song of feeling and light that Hermione could feel and identify with. The absent being in front of her was the only thing not resonating. For one terrifying moment she knew that she too would no longer resonate, that she would no longer _be_ if she grew any closer to that absent being.

Then it was as if Harry was a powerful energy that filled the entire room and she was slammed back into being. She could see with sudden clarity the blinding light that had saved her and feel the cold and pain that had soaked into her very bones for the past two years. Tears sprang to her eyes as her disorientated thoughts re-aligned themselves.

"Ron! It's open! We have to go!" Harry's voice boomed from above her.

She felt the thundering hooves of Ron's animagus form and could see and feel herself getting lifted up by the frail arms of her formerly catatonic friend.

"Harry--?" She asked confused.

"Don't talk, just get on," He urged his voice though strong a moment ago sounded gravelly and unused, "I know, ok? I know you're disorientated. Believe me, I know."

He helped her shaking limbs grab onto Ron and pull herself up onto him. Harry got on as well behind her handing her the bag and her wand. His own wand was clutched tightly in his fingers and his brilliant green eyes were dark with exhaustion and fear.

Harry glanced to Ron's right and wordlessly slashed his wand through the air. A loud "crack" was heard and the second Death eater Ron had been fighting fell the rest of the way to the floor from where he'd been struggling to rise. Hermione closed her eyes dizzy and clutched her wand. She shook her head once, opened her eyes and stared ahead determined and ready.

"You ok?" Harry asked.

An ironic grin pulled the corners of her lips upwards, "Are you?" She asked.

_Will no one ask how I am_? Ron's voice whispered through her mind.

Hermione jerked and she stared at Ron worriedly, "Did you just--?"

Ron lurched forward cutting off Hermione as he rammed the large doors open by slamming his side into the wood. The ancient prison door creaked open and then a rush of cold salt air rushed into the trio's lungs and the dark twinkling of the night sky greeted them.

Ron stopped for one second as the vast ocean and sky spread out before them overwhelming the three escapees. Each breathed deeply the un-constricted air before coming to their senses and realizing that pursuit was once again on its way.

"There!" Hermione pointed to the line of boats moored to the island.

One boat looked to have a cabin on it and was in excellent repair. She wondered briefly if anyone important was visiting the Island before Ron galloped toward the boat. Harry whipped his wand across the front and ropes all along the dock snapped. Hermione used her wand to push the boats out to sea. Ron ran as fast as he could.

The guards behind them began throwing spells at the trio. Sand exploded to their right and left and spells sailed over their heads barely missing any three of them. Harry turned and sent retaliating spells back while Hermione worked complicated shields around the three of them. Ron leaped off of the shore his hooves taking on a height that quickly deteriorated. The boat with the cabin came closer and closer until all the three of them knew was the harsh reality of a solid piece of wood and entangled limbs.

Ron was quickly human again and it was all Hermione could do to breathe. It was Harry who pushed himself up to peak over the edge of the boat and mutter a spell that propelled the boat forward out into the open sea.

Then it was once again just the three of them with fading shouts in the background lying in the deck exhausted, out of breath and together.

Hermione searchingly grabbed Harry and Ron's hands squeezing them and closing her eyes as she fell into her mind. Not to the sanctuary, just to unconsciousness.

* * *

Ok, I've just broken my own rule not to start a story when I am all ready working on another. But this was an experiment/idea I simply could not ignore. The first chapter may seem a tad cliche to some. The classic Harry's in Azkaban idea...but I hope it's has unique enough elements to keep people intrested. I'm currently having alot of fun writing this so I hope you have fun reading it. Constructive criticism is welcome. Thank you.

-Red


	2. Face the Morning Light

**In Silence We Walk**

**Disclaimer: ** I do not own the rights to Harry Potter or any of its characters.

**Face the Morning Light**

"Good morning," Her voice penetrated the dark recesses of his mind.

He wasn't ready to leave his dreamless unconsciousness. He wasn't ready to face his own thoughts again. Every ounce of his body hurt. The aches pulsed within his chest. His muscles began to bunch up painfully as they slowly awoke. Soon he'd remember what pain was; soon he'd forget that blissful dreamlessness that was unconsciousness. The worst part of it was, once his body began waking up it wasn't going to go back to sleep.

He squinted his eyes open. His eyelids were red when closed. The sun turned Hermione into a featureless silhouette that seemed to tower over him. Harry blinked up at her but made no comment instead moving his stiff bony arm over his face as a shield from the heat of the sun.

"Tomato red isn't your color mate," Ron grinned as he walked onto the deck from below the deck.

Harry stared at Ron uncomprehending. He wore a white shirt that was too large for him and blue jeans with no shoes. Where had he gotten the clothes? In his hand was a white plastic bowl with the most amazing smell wafting from it into Harry's nostrils. He handed the bowl to Hermione who wasted no time sitting cross legged next to Harry. Harry looked at her silently, she was no longer a black silhouette sitting down, nor was she quite as tall.

"You'll want to eat, but you can't eat too quickly or you'll throw it all up." Hermione stated.

Hermione too wore clothing too large for her. She looked so small in the over sized clothes. Her too thin form stood out in hard lines beneath the fabric.

Harry took the bowl and sat up wincing in pain.

"Stiff?" Hermione asked, "You were writhing around allot these past few weeks. I 'm not surprised."

Harry stared at her without expression. Writhing?

"It doesn't matter," Hermione said as explanation, "It's over, we're free."

Harry nearly dropped the bowl in his hands, the brothy contents slipped over the edge of the bowl to lick the sides and coat his fingers. Hermione gently took the bowl from his suddenly shaky fingers.

"I know," She said quietly her dark eyes looking into Harry's green, "It happened kind of quickly didn't it?"

Harry's hand shot out to her shoulder his face suddenly concerned, "What happened back there… when I woke. Are you ok?" his voice was so rough sounding, and it itched his throat.

She looked away chuckling darkly, "I will be," She said, "I'm still really disorientated you know? Everything feels so…heavy."

"You'll get used to it," Harry's voice never rose higher than a breezy whisper.

"I shouldn't have to." She said staring at Harry silently.

He stared back agreeing without expression. What they'd all been through…they shouldn't have ever _needed_ to go through. Ron sat down next to Hermione and gently took hers and then Harry's hands in his. He bowed his head looking at neither. Hermione placed the bowl of broth on the floor between them and took Harry's other hand.

The three of them leaned forward, their foreheads resting against one another and their eyes closed. The bright sun's warmth sunk into their backs and the wood beneath them warmed their legs and feet. The cool salt breeze played games with their long tangled locks stirring them upward and tickling their cheeks and necks.

"I nearly lost both of you last night," Ron said quietly, "You could have—you both could have been--."

Harry and Hermione looked at Ron's bowed head and then at each other. Hermione detached herself from Harry's hand to wrap both arms around Ron carefully. Ron clasped onto Hermione his breathing sharp as though he were holding back tears. Harry rested a hand on Ron's shoulders almost hesitantly then found himself being yanked into the hug where he crushed himself against two other bodies.

They stayed like that for what felt like a long time. Just relishing in the feel of real human contact and allowing them to recover from all of the fear of what they were running from and from the fear of what they had done.

"I killed that Death Eater." Hermione said quietly.

"Not that he didn't deserve it," Ron growled.

"I still did it," Hermione said.

"You could have died 'Mione," Ron countered, "We all could have. Escaping Azkaban is, was, _madness_. Pure bloody _madness_!"

"But we did it," Harry said quietly.

"We had too," Countered Hermione, "Merlin Harry, I thought we'd lost you forever."

"And you 'Mione," Harry said, "I felt you leaving," A fist clenched, "I couldn't let it happen."

"That was the largest bleeding patronus I'd ever seen mate," Ron squeezed the two of them tighter, "How you heard us I don't know."

"There's a question," Hermione leaned back out of the embrace to stare at her two boys, "How is it I can hear you in my head outside of the sanctuary?"

"How is it we can hear each other?" Harry asked seriously, "It's as if our minds have blown open. I can hear your thoughts, feel your emotions."

"What?" Hermione asked, "You too?"

Ron nodded, "Yeah," He added, "It's like, I don't know how to describe it but, I know what you'll say before you say it. I know what you're feeling even though you're face doesn't show it. It happened when Hermione—when that Dementor tried to—you know."

Hermione nodded, "That's when I really noticed it too." She looked at Harry, "Although thinking about it these past couple of months all I had to do was think about one of you and I could _feel_ you, as if you were sitting right next to me."

Harry fell eerily silent and Ron and Hermione stared at him with wide eyes. He stared at the wood of the boat. His green eyes troubled as a deep fear entered his thoughts. Hermione and Ron stiffened beside him both made no move to pull away from their friend.

"I don't think it works that way," Hermione said shakily, "At least I hope it doesn't."

"But it could," Harry said quietly, "He's linked to my head too 'Mione."

"Merlin," Ron breathed.

Harry stood up pulling himself away from the other two. He walked over to the side of the boat clutching the railing and leaning his weight on his hands. He shook a little and the other two didn't need to speak to know what was worrying him. They could see it, in his mind.

"How did we get like this?" He asked the wind.

"I have a theory," Hermione said quietly from where she still sat with Ron, "We made the Sanctuary by connecting our magic to each other and weaving it together. Then we solidified the sanctuary with a blood contract. Our magic must have mixed within the contract process. Which is why you had such a strong reaction when my soul was about to be--."

Ron grabbed Hermione's hand.

Hermione closed her eyes and pushed her fear of that memory away drawing on the warmth of Ron's hand, "When the Dementor tried to kiss me it pushed your mind out of the catatonic stated it had been in because you were invariably in danger as well."

"So what now?" Ron asked, "All our thoughts and feelings…they aren't private anymore are they?"

Hermione looked down at her lap but both Ron and Harry heard her answer. Both of them looked a little perturbed about it too.

"Then my link with Voldemort?" He asked.

"I don't know but by being linked to you on such a deep level, maybe even deeper than your connection to Voldemort…" Hermione trailed off.

"We might be linked to him, through you," Ron finished out loud.

Harry turned around quickly, "No," He hissed with dread.

"I'm not sure we are Harry," Hermione said quietly, "It's only a theory. I haven't felt any foreign emotions or seen anything horrendous that I can't trace back to either of you two."

Ron nodded, "Me neither."

Harry breathed in slowly relief hovered there against his better judgment but the fear was still strong.

"But we are free," Hermione said softly, "And sane. At least, relatively." She glanced at Harry.

"That's something." Ron grinned, "Oi, I made some soup and you're not even going to eat it?" He mock-glared at Harry.

Harry didn't smile as Ron hoped but he did walk over and sit down. He picked up the bowl and brought it to his lips sipping up the broth that was now a little cold. Ron nodded at him happily. Hermione chuckled a little. Ron looked a little like his mother in that moment.

Ron looked at Hermione startled and Harry snorted into his soup silently agreeing with Hermione.

He stood silently in the forest of the Sanctuary. It was dark in this part of the forest, eerie. Harry liked it. He felt at home in this dark place as if he belonged in it. He could feel eyes watching him curiously.

Hermione had insisted upon Harry continuing his animagus training even though he didn't feel he'd ever find his totem. She insisted because she told him finding one's totem was like finding a piece of yourself you didn't even know you'd lost. It completed you and strengthened you at the same time. Harry was in desperate need of strengthening.

He'd been doing nothing but sit on the boat for days just staring out into the water. Even the few dolphins they'd come across had done nothing to remove that stoic expression on his face. He may not have been catatonic anymore but he was, truly, broken. He could feel how much it hurt his two friends as none of their thoughts or feelings were private anymore. It was frustrating not even having a mind to oneself to retreat to. His nightmares…as violent and frightening as they were…they were shared between the two people in the world he would never wish them on.

"You're dreams are just so powerful Harry," Hermione had said quietly after they had all woken up screaming, "It overpowers anything Ron or I could come up with. I suppose that's the effect of the Dementors on you."

Harry remembered her eyes as she had looked at him. They had been scared, sad, and understanding. The fact that she and Ron could finally understand was not a relief for Harry. It hurt to know he was placing such a heavy burden on them.

Harry sighed and leaned against a tree. He rubbed his eyes tired. At least here, he was alone. At least in this place his thoughts were completely his own. It truly was a Sanctuary. He listened to the silence of the trees around him. The breeze danced and played a symphony with twigs and leaves. He closed his eyes his thoughts miles away.

Wait, Harry froze, a song danced sorrowfully on the breeze. Harry just barely heard it. He strained his ears trying to identify where it came from. His body held completely still against the tree. It faded and Harry felt a small panic build in his chest as it began to disappear. He needed to hear that song!

He leaned forward straining himself to hear. The wind caressed the fringes of his hair and, there, the song came from his right. Deeper into the darkness Harry leapt forward and latched onto the sound. He knew that sound. He'd heard it when he'd been comatose deep within himself. He knew without a doubt that that song was linked to him, to his totem.

He ran.

"He's been asleep too long," Hermione said quietly.

"Calm down 'Mione," Ron stated, "He's still in the sanctuary.

"I know that," Hermione said, "But, what if--."

"What if what?" Ron asked, "It's the sanctuary! We created it! We know it's safe."

"It's only as safe as our minds allow it to be!" Hermione said, "You and I don't have as many evils lurking within us as Harry. The forest is the representation of everything within us that we hide from ourselves. I'm just worried about what form the forest will take for Harry."

"Then let's go in there!" Ron sat down crossing his legs and readying his mind.

He stopped and looked at Hermione a pained expression on his face.

"Oh," he said.

"Yes," Hermione sighed and sat down next to him, "This is his journey, we may be connected, but this is something he has to do on his own. You know this."

"I do." Ron nodded.

Hermione sighed and took Ron's hand watching the even rise and fall of Harry's chest.

The world became darker and darker, the footing was difficult here. Harry had tripped at least twice and skinned his knees. He'd ignored the pain opting to slow down to hunt the song that still clung to him despite it's habit of appearing and disappearing on the wind. Harry's senses were becoming sharper as he hunted. His heart pumped within his chest hitting his rib cage with many dull thuds. He was getting closer, every moment closer. The blood in his veins sang as with the eerie song, harmonizing with it as Harry crouched and crawled through the thickening brush.

The dirt between his fingers scrapped his frail palms but Harry didn't care. The feeling of rough earth was marvelous to him. He felt himself move deeper and deeper into the hunt. He memorized the earthy smell of the brush around him allowing the greenery to sink into his nostrils. He began to move more slowly, cautiously waiting for the song to appear patiently. Harry had never known he had such patience before this moment. His footsteps became lighter, quieter. His movements slower. He instinctually knew to conserve his energy, or at least what little of it he had.

He couldn't feel Ron or Hermione. Here he was completely alone. It was just him, and the hunt, and the song that beckoned him further and further inward. The soft song was finally beginning to become louder. Harry fought his muscles knowing that if he began to run he'd startle whatever he was hunting and it would again be too far from his grasp.

He crouched closer to the ground and slowly took a single step forward. A twig snapped loudly beneath his foot and the boy froze. The song stopped and Harry leapt to his feet once again in pursuit; his heart dropping, knowing that he had most likely missed his chance that day.

Hermione watched as Harry scarffed down his food. He'd been slowly regaining color…and expression lately. He must be getting close to finding his totem. She smiled and ate a spoonful of chili. They had found a pantry stashed with a great deal of water and canned food in the cabin. The cabin had a table, cabinets filled with cooking where and a kitchen as well as a small closeted toilet and a small bed. They'd also figured out whose boat it was. The pictures of the prison head and a little girl sat tacked up to the pantry. Hermione sincerely hoped they had not accidently killed the little girl's father on accident during their wild escape from Azkaban.

She could not sincerely forgive any of the people who put three innocent teenagers into that prison for the crime of fighting for what they believed in. At that point they hadn't even gotten to truly fighting yet. They had been searching for the Horcruxes never knowing that they were being hunted like fugitives for simply existing. And that ridiculous law…the one where all muggle borns must be registered and receive punishment for harboring a magic they never asked for. Trying innocent people as thieves when it was literally impossible to steal magic…

"Where will we go?" She asked Ron and Harry silently.

They looked up at her both with bloated cheeks and mouths full. Harry shrugged.

_Anywhere except back_, he stated through their minds as he chewed.

Hermione frowned, "But we have to go back don't we?"

_No_, was the identical thought from both boys.

"What would be the point of going back?" Ron asked after swallowing his mouthful of chili, "They'd hunt us down just like before and then we'd either end up back in Azkaban or worse."

"We can't just leave them, our countrymen, to Voldemort," Hermione stated.

_They left _us_ to rot,_ Ron countered glaring at her, "I don't feel much sympathy for a bunch of sheep who can't stick up for themselves."

Harry was silent.

"What about your family Ron?" Hermione asked.

Ron's head shot back as though slapped. He looked away from his companions to gaze out of the small round window above the table. He _did_ want to know if they were all right. He _was_ worried about them.

"But you're scared," Hermione said quietly.

"Yeah," Ron nodded, _I'm_ _Scared of what I might find that's left of them_.

Harry chuckled, "I'm more worried to find what they've left in their wake. They're a resilient bunch, I doubt Voldemort can do much to them actually." Ron smiled gratefully at Harry though both could feel his nervousness through his relief.

"We need information," Hermione said, "And the only way we're going to find it is if we head back to England."

"Do you know how to navigate a boat on open sea Hermione?" Ron asked.

_No_, Hermione shrunk back in her seat a little, "But I can learn."

_You do that_, Harry thought, "I'm close," He said out loud, "I can almost feel my totem's presence."

"You don't want to go back to England," Hermione frowned knowing he was trying to turn the conversation.

"Not really, no." Harry said, "There are too many memories there, too many…_He's_ there, you know?"

"I know," Hermione said quietly, "But that's why we have to go back."

Harry frowned darkly at Hermione knowing what she was thinking about, "No," He growled, "I don't give a damn about some bloody quack prophecy. The fates can just go screw themselves for all I care."

He stood anger hovering around him in a dark cloud of energy.

"Harry," Hermione said carefully, "You know how I feel about prophecies."

"Then why are you defending this one?" Harry asked.

"I'm not defending it!" She said, "But Voldemort _does_ feel this is important and if my guess is correct he won't stop until he knows you're eliminated. I've heard your thoughts, you're worried. Even now he's searching for you. He can't feel you as well as he should and he's nervous that you're out of Azkaban!"

"Well then all the more reason not to go back to England!" Harry countered.

"Why are you running away?" Hermione asked, "You're the one who always ran head first into dangerous situations!"

"Yeah and see where that got us!" Harry yelled, "Haven't we all suffered enough?"

Hermione and Ron jumped their mouths opening as they realized what was wrong. Harry wasn't scared for himself anymore, he was scared for them. He blamed himself for their incarceration, blamed his own weakness for nearly going completely off of his rocker and almost loosing Hermione. He blamed himself for the situation they were in now. He was blaming himself for everything.

"Do you get it now?" Harry asked quietly, _Do you understand?_

"What complete and utter bull shit." Ron snapped.

_What?_ Harry and Hermione asked.

"We don't follow you because we think you're this awesome lucky charm or whatever, we follow you because we fucking love you," Ron stated, "None of us, not even you, could have predicted what was going to happen in any one of those situations. And I'm sorry to tell you this mate, but we weren't just following you blindly like you think we were, we knew exactly what we were getting ourselves into and we still chose to do it because it was the right fucking thing to do."

Harry stared at Ron, his expression darkening as he prepared a rebuttal.

Ron beat him to it, "So get off you're high horse and fucking realize that you're not the cause of disaster, you're not special, and you don't decide fate. So bloody accept and move on!"

Harry opened his mouth several times, words and emotions so jumbled within him that even Ron and Hermione couldn't completely make out what he was feeling. His face darkened and for one terrible moment Hermione thought he was going to reach out and deck Ron. He didn't, instead he turned on his heel and walked out of the cabin onto the deck slamming the plastic door behind him.

Hermione looked at Ron feeling anger begin to rise within her. She opened up her mouth to form a rebuttal but Ron wouldn't have it.

"He had to hear it Hermione," He said quietly, sadly, "He needs to stop feeling responsible for everything."

Hermione's mouth snapped closed, her expression was dark, _You could have been kinder about it_.

"Maybe," Ron sighed sitting down, "I think he knows what I meant. It's not like we can keep secrets from each other."

"I'm going to go talk to him," Hermione stated stiffly.

She stood up and walked out of the cabin after Harry. Ron sighed and forced himself to finish his chili his gut turning in retaliation to hurting his friend.

"He's right," Harry sat with his legs crossed on top of the cabin where he could feel the wind the most, "I'm not special, I know that. But, and this is sick of me to say, Voldemort makes me feel special."

Hermione climbed up beside him and sat next to him gently running her fingers through his hair, "His obsession with you makes you feel that?" She asked carefully.

Harry shuddered, "A little," He admitted, "I'd never been special, never been depended on for anything. Even as hated as I was growing up I was hated because to the Dursleys I literally wasn't…anything…not even their enemy. Having an enemy, knowing I am important to that person, even if it's in such a twisted way…it makes me feel…"

"Like a human being," Hermione finished.

"Yeah," Harry said quietly, "Like my existence isn't just the dirt on the floor."

"I know," Hermione said quietly, "It's why you take it so personally when any of us are hurt. You feel guilty as though your own obsession with feeling like somebody is hurting others."

"There's something wrong with me," Harry said quietly.

"There's something wrong with the world," Hermione smiled, "you're Aunt and Uncle is proof of that."

"I don't want to go to England yet," Harry said quietly, "I can't face…him, right now. I'm afraid of what I might become. I need…something. I'm not sure what."

Hermione looked at the endless night sky, her eyes dark and sad. Is this why he reacted so violently to the dementors?

"I'll go talk to Ron," She said quietly, "You should talk to him too."

Her hand slipped from his head and Harry turned his face a little to watch her climb down out of the corner of his eye. When her bushy hair disappeared from sight he turned back to gaze at the dark ocean thinking about what he'd told her. It was true, the Prophesy and Voldemort, had given Harry a purpose. He sought out dangerous situations and helped people so that he could feel like a human being. He had a "saving people" complex that Voldemort had given him by choosing Harry as his enemy.

Harry shuddered to think what could have happened had Voldemort not been there. The fact that he took sadistic pleasure in the thought of being the only one who could kill Voldemort and the only one who could set fear into the evil Wizard's heart was…disconcerting.

He didn't want to go back to England. He wasn't ready too.

"Well," Hermione trounced up on deck a big grin on her face, "Thanks to Ron finding a compass I can officially say I've figured out how to navigate the boat." She grinned at Harry and Ron who sat holding two ends of a net that was dipped into the water over the boat.

Neither boy expected to actually catch anything, but both of the two boys had been excited at trying to catch fish in the ocean when they'd found the net. All three of them were getting sick of chili and canned greens. Whoever owned the boat before they stole it really liked canned chili and canned green beans.

"You have?" Ron asked.

"I think so," She nodded, "I found some maps in the cabin and have been trying to line up the coordinates on the map with the compass…I think I've got it figured out…"

"You think." Ron deadpanned, "As in, you're not sure."

"Yeah," Hermione said nervously, "I think if we just follow the compass pointing east we'll hit some land…eventually."

_That's reassuring_, Harry thought rolling his eyes a little.

Hermione frowned, "I can hear you, you know."

Harry smiled grimly and began to pull at the net a little to feel if there was any resistance. The net came too easily in his fingers so he let it go slack again.

"So what land would we reach if we went east?" Harry asked aloud.

"Well I think we are currently in the North Sea," Hermione said carefully, "Though I can't be certain. When we left Azkaban we weren't paying attention to the direction we were heading so all my calculations are based on assumptions."

"I doubt I have to remind anyone," Ron began slowly, "If this fishing thing doesn't work, we are going to run out of food." _Fast_, he added silently.

Harry and Hermione agreed silently their minds in sync with worry about food.

"We've gone without food before," Harry stated, "We can ration what we have."

Hermione frowned, "We've been rationing," She said, "Our stomachs still haven't gotten used to portions that are healthy. If we ration what we've been rationing we could risk illness and fatigue. Working a boat on the open sea requires a lot of work."

"Then we'll take it as easy as we can," Ron stated easily, "We don't really eat lunch often so we can limit ourselves to two meals a day. We'll eat enough in the morning and evening to keep ourselves energized. That cabin has a lot of bags of crackers and plenty of canned sodas. Sugar will keep us alive at least."

"Sugar and salt," Hermione grimaced, "We'll get dehydrated and pass out."

"Well pass out from sugar highs," Harry pointed out.

"Hmm," Hermione said quietly thinking.

Harry and Ron went silent as they listened to her whirlwind of thoughts. They both grimaced as she thought of possible outcomes to each solution she came up with.

"All right," She said, "Two meals it is. I'm going to go down and make an inventory of what we have the pantry."

The boys nodded and she disappeared back into the cabin.

"I suppose we can't just conjure any food?" Ron joked.

"Conjured food is empty of anything that will stay with us." Harry said automatically staring at the net, "It would be like eating cardboard."

"It was a joke mate," Ron said.

Harry looked at Ron without expression and Ron frowned, "You're still mad," He said.

_Not at you_, Harry thought to Ron.

Ron's gaze darkened, "Harry…"

"Don't Ron," Harry interrupted, "What you said the other night, you were right. We don't need to talk about it anymore."

"I was over-reacting." Ron stated.

"So was I," Harry said, "I also didn't realize that I wasn't really in charge of you and Hermione. I hadn't even realized I thought I was until you yelled at me. I'm just…dealing ok?"

"Dealing with your demons," Ron said, "Isn't something you need to do alone, you know. All of us need to heal. We've all been through the same hell Harry."

Harry was silent, the net was getting taught when he tugged on it. His thoughts were in turmoil he could barely make out what he was thinking so he doubted Ron could sort through them either. Ron sighed confirming that he knew Harry was conflicted.

"I don't want you to have the same demons I do," Harry said quietly at last.

"I know," Ron said, "But it's not like any of us get a choice in the matter." There was a tinge of bitterness in his feelings but Ron's acceptance of the situation was much stronger than his bitterness.

Harry looked at Ron silently; Ron's ability to accept things they couldn't change was something he hadn't had before Azkaban.

"Yeah," Ron chuckled, "Having your brain rapped by Dementors changes a person."

_That's an understatement_, Harry said.

There was an advantage to having their minds linked as they were. The inside of Harry's throat was scarred from two years of what felt like endless screaming. Talking was still dreadfully difficult for him. Ron and Harry shared a look; it was difficult to stay angry with each other when they shared thoughts.

_Good news_, Hermione's mind voice rang through their heads, _I think we have enough for a month in canned goods._ She sent a mental image of the list she'd created and the inside of the pantry, _Now all we need to be sure of is get to some land before the month is up_.

Harry and Ron looked at the net they had been holding all morning then at each other wondering if they should stop trying to fish in the ocean or not.

_Keep fishing_, Hermione ordered.

The boys smirked at each other, Ron grinned more broadly then Harry but they both felt amusement toward their female friend. They sat back against the sides of the boat and resumed their mental conversations while they fished.

Harry stood staring at the things they'd caught in the net that was spread out on the deck. Ron stared too his eyebrows pulled down in a frown and his hands residing on his hips. There were fish in the net. This surprised the boys. Neither had expected to get anything. Hermione walked down from the steering wheel a rolled up map clutched in her hand. She was grinning broadly.

"Don't look so surprised boys," She grinned, "It is the ocean after all."

"Do you know what any of these fish are?" Ron asked.

"Nope," Hermione said cheerfully, "But what I do know is that we aren't going to be eating chili tonight." Her eyes got thoughtful as she gazed at the jumping and writhing fish on the deck, "I wonder if there is a book on how to prepare fish in the cabin. There were a few cooking books in the kitchen I thought."

Harry bent down grabbing a fish. The fish writhed and slapped Harry's forearm with its tail. The scales slipped against Harry's skin making the young wizard grab onto the fish with both hands. His eyes narrowed as the fish managed to slip further out of his fingers.

_What do we do with these_? Harry asked eyeing the fish on the deck, they had caught a great deal more fish then they had expected.

"I suppose we need to gather them and stick them in a bucket or something…" Ron scratched the back of his neck as he thought.

"Do we have any ice boxes?" Hermione asked, "We may not have ice but if we have the ice boxes we can stick the fish in there. I can make ice with my wand."

"I'll go look," Ron said heading down into the cabin.

Truly the boat had been owned by a wizard. The inside of the cabin was much larger than it should have been. They were still finding compartments and rooms that shouldn't have fit down there.

"You mentioned you'd gotten closer to your totem?" Hermione asked Harry as she bent to help him gather fish.

Harry nodded, "I get closer every night." He said quietly, "It sings Hermione, the most sorrowful sound…and, the most beautiful. Like a phoenix song, only it doesn't up lift you, it gives you peace."

Hermione smiled softly at Harry, _The totem will help you heal_.

_I think you may be right_, Harry thought.

They smiled at each other for a moment then Harry's fish adventurously slipped out of his fingers and fell to the deck making an uproar with its tail slapping the wood. Harry grabbed at it and missed causing him to slip forward and fall on top of several flapping fish ending their suffering with his minimum weight. Hermione burst out laughing dropping the fish she had been holding. Her fish bounced across the deck until it hit Harry full on the face.

Harry sputtered and shot up grimacing at all the scales and fish guts that coated his sunburned chest and torso. Hermione laughed harder. He gingerly pealed a dead fish off his stomach with a frown. Ron walked up onto the deck dragging behind him a box and raised an eyebrow at Harry.

_Have_ _a fight with the fish Harry_? He wondered.

_No_, Harry pouted, _Just one fish_.

_And it won_, Hermione grinned as she continued laughing.

Ron grinned setting down the box he held. It was a plastic box big enough to set the fish in but not as good as an ice box would have been. Still Hermione knew they could work with it. They were Wizards after all.

She peeled one of the flattened fish off the deck and tossed in into the box.

"Did you bring you're wand Ron?" She asked aloud.

"Uh--," Ron looked at her frozen, "I didn't think about it, no." _Oops._

Hermione sighed, "I'll just go get mine then," She stood up dusting her knees off.

The boys grimaced feeling an ounce of irritation from her. She didn't really like the wand she had stolen. It wasn't as compatible with her magic as it could be. She often complained that it itched when she used it, like it just wasn't right.

_Do you want to use mine_? Harry asked her.

_No_, Hermione answered below the deck, _Yours is worse than this one_.

Harry shrugged_, I suppose only me and Voldemort can use it_.

She walked back up onto the deck with the wand in her hand and sat next to the box. She began drawing runes with her wand on the box and frost began to build on the outside despite the sun glaring full force on the boat.

"We'll just have to seal it when we have all the fish in it," Hermione said grabbing the tail of a very alive fish and tossing it in.

Ron tossed a fish into the box and sat back grinning, "It's kind of cool," He said.

_What is_? Both Harry and Hermione thought.

"_We _caught these fish," Ron grinned pride emanating from him like warmth from a fire, "We caught _ocean fish_."

Hermione and Harry looked at each other amused that Ron was so excited over such a small thing. They smiled at Ron sharing his pride.

"Yes," Hermione said, "I suppose we did."

They gutted and cooked the fish that had been crushed by Harry that night, all three of them happily taking part in a meal that was not at all related to chili. After dinner they all crawled into the single bed that the boat had drifting into dreams.

* * *

The time line jumps a little. I hope that isn't too confusing. This chapter brought up a question I had toyed with one that a few people might feel uncomfortable with. Remember that Harry had nearly lost his mind. He's not exactly...right in the head right now. This story is based on the mind and what it can and will go through. Hope you all enjoyed it. Constructive criticism welcome.

-Red


	3. Loki's Legacy

**In Silence We Walk**

**Disclaimer: ** I do not own the rights to Harry Potter or any of its characters.

**Loki's Legacy**

The moon was very bright in the sanctuary; casting light among even the densest of trees. Harry crouched crawling cautiously; the song had gotten so loud that he swore he could hear it even when he was not in the sanctuary. The sound of the sorrowful and eerie notes had branded themselves in Harry's very veins.

He moved forward pushing the prickly branches of a bush away from his face. The moon was a beacon in the sky unfolding its light upon a small clearing encircled by trees. Harry paused his body becoming still as he saw it. The moon cast a silver sheen along its silver coat as the animal before Harry titled its head back and sang the song coming from a point at the end of its slender snout.

Harry slowly stepped out of the brush his eyes entranced by the elegant wolf that sat in the middle of the clearing. The creature stopped singing. It lowered its head and gazed at Harry unblinking with solemn golden eyes placed in black kohl. The wolf stood gracefully and Harry felt a power from the animal that made the young man drop to his knees. The wolf stepped toward him as tears sprang to Harry's gaze at the sight of the beautiful animal.

_At last_, the wolf seemed to say, _at last you have come_.

Harry reached out a hand shakily as the wolf neared and touched its rough feathery coat. His fingers entwined in the soft yet course fur.

_Come_, He felt the wolf say as it muzzled Harry's neck, _There is much you must learn_.

Harry stood, his fingers still buried in the wolf's fur and they walked side by side into the forest.

********

Hermione shot up in bed at the same time Ron did. They looked at each other alarm in every line of their faces.

_Harry!_ They thought frantically.

Hermione looked at the dark haired boy sleeping next to her. She'd felt him in the sanctuary only moments ago. Now she could not feel his mind at all. It was as though his presence had just vanished from her awareness. She touched his face and pulled her hand back as though his skin had burned.

_He's cold_! She thought with alarm looking at Ron in fear.

_What_? He asked leaning over her and feeling his skin himself.

Curse words followed his inspection. Hermione touched Harry's neck looking for a pulse. She pushed her and Ron's panic to the back of both of their minds so they could focus.

"He has a pulse," Hermione said with relief.

"I'm going into the sanctuary to look for him," Ron said.

Hermione shook her head placing a hand on his shoulder, "Don't Ron, not yet. We need to wait. Maybe he's finally found his totem."

"Or he's gone so deep we're losing him," Ron stated.

Hermione touched Harry's cold forehead and pulled the covers in around him tucking them under him. She didn't answer Ron's questioning thoughts as she crawled out of the bed.

"Get more blankets Ron," Hermione ordered.

Her hands shook as she walked to the kitchen pulling out a bowl and a wash cloth. She heard Ron behind her opening the drawer they'd discovered the blankets in.

"Hermione do you know what's--?" Ron began.

_No!_ She slammed her palms on the counter trying to pull herself together, "I don't," her head was bowed not looking at him. Ron carefully put the folded blankets he'd been holding down sensing Hermione fighting her emotions.

_You think he'd leave us_? He asked silently.

Her hands shot to her mouth her fingers trembling against her lips. Ron moved up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. She turned her hair flinging around to settle at her shoulder as she did. Her dark eyes held tears that were being held at bay by sheer will.

"He was willing to leave us in Azkaban Ron," Her voice trembled as much as her fingers, "I held his mind intact before, but only just—by showing him our sanctuary!"

"But that was before the kiss…" Ron said confused, "I thought you said our minds weren't synced until after you were almost—."

"I forgot!" Hermione cried, "I wasn't sure about what I'd done! So much of that night is a blur of terror and confusion! I—what if the sanctuary isn't safe? What if a person could go so far into it that they'd never be able to come back! We created the spell Ron! We had no idea what the consequences of making such a place would be!"

"I thought you'd read about it in a book somewhere…" Ron said confused.

"I did, or at least I read something similar created in order for a liar to be able to lie under veritasserum." Hermione said nervously, "The theory was to create a world inside one's mind where they could hide while questioned and then to create a separate identity and memories in order to be able to answer the questioner in what that personality thought was the truth. It was created on the bases of a theory about the very nature of 'truth' and whether or not one's point of view would change the 'truth' as it was given." She was rambling.

Ron carefully gripped her shoulders in an effort to calm her down, "Hermione," he called softly, _Look at me_.

She did, her eyes slowly moved from the point of his chest that she had been staring at as she rambled to his pale eyes.

"What should we do?" He said it slowly out loud so that she could focus on the sound.

He knew her; she just needed something to focus on for her head to clear and to get her mind working. It worked. He could almost see her thoughts as they ground to a halt then slowly, systematically began to organize themselves. She took a deep breath turning over ideas and theories as she stared into Ron's eyes.

"Maybe it's like you said," Ron said carefully, "Maybe he's found his totem."

"It _would_ be _Harry_ who reacts to animagus training differently than everyone else in the world," Hermione said slowly half convinced all ready that that was just what was occurring, "But this reaction just isn't _normal_."

Ron shook his head a strained smile tugging at his cheeks, _Since when has Harry ever done things normally? _He asked.

Hermione smiled mirroring Ron's grim expression, "Come on," She said turning to grab the bowl filling it with hot water, "We need to keep his body warm while he's—," She grimaced, "Away."

Ron nodded and walked back into the bedroom covering Harry with a couple more blankets to keep his body warm. He shook his head, in Azkaban there had been no way for any of them to have kept their bodies warm when they left them. They had always been cold. He wasn't sure what Hermione expected to accomplish with this exercise, or if maybe this wasn't just a way to make herself feel better.

"If you recall," Hermione said as she swept into the room, "I said when we first made our Sanctuary that I didn't like the fact that we left our bodies cold and vulnerable when we went there." She glared a little at Ron, "This is not just to make me feel better; there are healthful benefits to this too. Do you ever wonder why it's been weeks and we still have chills when the sun is beating its rays upon our backs?"

Ron scratched the back of his head, "I hadn't really noticed…"

"Because we got used to it," Hermione said rolling her eyes.

Ron nodded, "I'll take your word for it."

_Of course you will_, Hermione sighed.

"So what do we do now?" Ron asked as he tucked in the blankets around Harry.

"Watch him, try to keep putting water in him if he doesn't wake up in the morning," She shivered a little and Ron placed a hand on her shoulder, "Make sure he doesn't cook under the blankets either." She sighed, "All we can do is wait."

Ron frowned, "I hate waiting."

_So do I_, Hermione's hand clasped the hand that Ron had on her shoulder in understanding.

*******

"Ok," Ron growled, "It's been days, three bloody days!"

He marched into the bedroom where Harry's still form lay and Hermione sat reading a cooking book beside him.

"I'm going into the Sanctuary, finding his scrawny ass and dragging him back here right now!" Ron flopped onto the bed closing his eyes and mentally preparing himself to walk into the Sanctuary.

A very strong mental tug from Hermione prevented Ron from doing just as he said he'd do. He opened one eye to glare at his companion.

"Don't," Hermione warned.

"Why not?" Ron asked sitting up from the bed forcefully, "In there I can run fast, I'll have him back by supper time."

Hermione turned a page without looking at him, "And how do you propose to find him?" She asked.

Ron tapped on his skull with his eyebrows raised for emphasis.

"We can't hear each other in the sanctuary like we can out here Ron," Hermione stated.

"No but we can sense each other in there just as we can out here." Ron argued.

"But if we can't sense him now when his body is directly in front of us," Hermione asked, "How do you expect us to sense him in there?"

"Closer proximity," Ron stated stubbornly.

"Closer prox—Ron!" Hermione snapped, "Distance is relative in the Sanctuary! It's our bleeding mind not an actual forest!"

"Minds," Ron corrected.

"What?" Hermione asked.

"It's our _minds,_ not _mind_. There's more than one of us." Ron stated

"Wha--?" Hermione's mouth dropped open for a moment she closed her book with a _snap_, "It's our—that doesn't matter right now Ron!"

"Let me go in there then," Ron stated stubbornly.

"No." Hermione growled, "Do you think I've been sitting idly by here Ron?" She asked dangerously, "I've been probing his mind for the past _three bleeding days_! Either he's gone completely or he's—he's…"

Ron jumped up from the bed furious, "Don't even think the word."

"I didn't say--," Hermione's lip trembled.

"No, but you thought it," Ron grabbed her shoulders, "We three didn't come this far to allow Harry to die just like that."

Hermione nodded shakily, "You're right."

"We are going into the Sanctuary," Ron commanded.

"All right," Hermione nodded, "Together."

Ron agreed. They both lay on the bed and took hands allowing their minds to sink into green fields surrounded by dense trees.

They opened their eyes under thick foliage. They looked around dazed. Never had they awoken to the Sanctuary in such a place. The trees were so thick here they gave the illusion of night in the middle of the day.

_I don't feel him Ron_, Hermione thought.

_I don't either_. He looked at her troubled as he scanned their surroundings, _but The Sanctuary brought us here for a reason_.

_Let's look around_, Hermione suggested, _I'll l take the Air_.

_Right_, Ron's shoulders seemed to spasm for a moment before he lurched forward allowing his shape to change to the large tawny Stallion that was his animagus form.

Hermione jumped into the air and after a few clumsy flaps of her wings was quickly air born. Ron shook his main adjusting himself to the feel of his horse body. He started walking at a gallop Hermione gliding silently beside him. Their minds were probing outward along the tentative link they had with their missing friend.

The shrubbery got thicker the further they traveled, the branches closed in until Hermione had to become human again and ride on Ron's back. The misty air cleared their nostrils and filled them with the heady scent of wet greens and damp earth. The rot of trees was a sweet taste to their tongues and a soft carpet under Ron's hooves dampening the sound of their passage. Hermione clutched Ron's coarse main between her fingers her brown eyes darted around them at the silent trees. Her hair fell in waves behind her slapping the back of her neck every time Ron's hooves touched the ground.

_Anything_? She asked silently.

_Only the forest, there's no scent, no sign of anyone or anything_, Ron responded with a nervous snort, _It's eerie_.

_I thought so too_, Hermione said worried, _How deep did he go_?

_There's a clearing ahead_, Ron warned, _If you wanted to stretch your wings_.

Hermione nodded and pulled her legs up under her crouching on Ron's back. When they reached the clearing she jumped off him sprouting wings as she fell and flapping into Owl form. Her eyes quickly adjusted from the weak human sight to the sharpened sight of the Owl. She flew silently low to the ground in front of Ron picking up the slightest of movements. Her wingtips barely brushed the edges of the long grass. Movement to the right made her dart up into the air in alarm. She swung around flying back to get a closer look at the dark spot before them.

_Harry_? She called out to silence.

Her keen eyes picked at the tree line behind them searching for the dark shape she had seen only a moment before. The moon was bright here; a strange thing considering the field they'd created was always sunny. The bright silver deity caressed Hermione's soft tawny feathers with a cold glow. They shown black and silver under the light; her yellow eyes glowed with the moon's resonance.

_Ron_, Hermione cautioned flying over to him, _There's something in the wood_.

_Noted_, Ron stood in the middle of the field facing the woods stamping a foot on the ground and tensing his sturdy muscles.

Hermione opted to circle around Ron keeping her eyes on the woods. The dark shape she had seen appeared again darting across the line of trees just out of visible range. Hermione tensed her talons her animal instincts calculating what she should do if a threat arose. She listened to the instincts with only half a thought more focused on identifying the unknown shadow.

_I'm gonna go check it out_, Ron said moving forward cautiously.

Hermione perched on a log watching him cautiously move toward the forest. His coat glistened grey under the eerie light of the night. His powerful legs moved him gracefully forward with his majestic neck held proudly. He wasn't just a stallion, Hermione thought; he looked like a war horse ready to charge any enemy that threatened him. Hermione puffed her feathers up in pride and Ron's head rose a little higher feeding off of that pride.

The field was silent, except for the clopping sound of Ron's cautious hooves. The air was still so there would be no warning as the shadow revealed itself with the explosion of leaves and twigs. A large black wolf forced itself into the clearing running full out toward Ron bearing razor ivory. Hermione jumped off the log and Ron reared in alarm. His hooves slammed into the spot the wolf would have landed. Said creature jumped to the side rolling only to lunch himself at Ron's legs. Hermione flew down slamming into the creature reverting to human shape as she did. She scrambled away from the wolf as it twirled around to snarl at her. It crouched readying itself to jump at her when Ron's rear feet smashed into the canine's side.

The wolf flew away from Hermione with a yelp and righted itself growling. Hermione stared at the creature with alarm. It was a large animal, albeit a bit underfed, with messy black fur and the most striking green eyes she'd ever seen. They held gazes, she and the wolf, for a full minute before it growled and leapt again at her. She jumped to the air allowing the change to come on naturally into an owl. A pair of powerful jaws snapped at her tail feathers just missing her rump. Ron rammed his head into the wolf and it skidded across the grass with a growl. It righted itself and crouched.

Ron and the wolf stood across from each other both tense and ready to charge. Hermione turned gracefully in the air gaining speed. No signal occurred; the two animals ran full speed at each other, the wolf jumping into the air and the stallion lowering its head in attack. They met in the middle the wolf scrabbling at Ron's neck leaving long scratches as Ron head-butted the wolf away. It landed this time on its legs and prepared to run again. Hermione intercepted the wolf turning human at the last second to tackle the creature to the ground her elbow slamming hard into its jaw.

"Harry stop this!" She snapped struggling to hold onto the wolf as it clawed at her.

_Harry_? Ron asked alarmed thundering over to help Hermione.

He converted to human form and jumped on the struggling animal. Said animal bit him in warning and Ron yelled snapping an arm back.

"Ow!" He growled and tackled the wolf with Hermione, "If this is Harry I'm gonna bloody kill him!" He snapped.

"It _is_ Harry, Ron!" Hermione snapped, "For some reason he's trapped himself in this form!"

Ron growled and slapped the black wolf's muzzle, "Well-," He said gasping, "If it's Harry, Merlin that _hurt_!" He snapped his head back grabbing a paw four long scratches gracing his cheek, "If this is him why can't I feel him?"

"You can't?" Hermione snapped, "I certainly can!" _Stop it_! She yelled at Harry tugging hard on their link.

The wolf abruptly stopped moving a whine exiting its throat.

"It's _us_ you dimwit!" Hermione yelled tugging harder on their link, "Wake up!"

The wolf's eyes widened and then abruptly shifted beneath her and Ron. The body shrank and stretched causing Hermione and Ron to fall heavily on a frail human body. Harry gasped as his snout turned to lips and he stopped struggling. Sweat and blood covered Hermione and Ron and they lay on top of Harry gasping as the pain began to let itself be known. They both moved off of Harry gingerly. Claw marks dawned on Hermione's sides and stomach as well as her legs and back. Similar marks adorned Ron's chest and arms. They both sat back on either side of Harry glaring at each other exhausted.

_Hermione? Ron?_ Harry asked tentatively.

Hermione kicked him hard in the side because it was all she could do, "Yes, it's us you idiot. You couldn't tell by our scent?" She growled.

Harry held his side wincing,_ I did but I didn't, couldn't recognize you for who you were. I was…really deep_.

Ron hit him, "You bit me!" He growled.

_Maybe you deserved it_. Harry countered pushing himself up carefully into a sitting position.

Hermione kicked him again, "What the hell possessed you to attack us?" She asked angrily, "More importantly, where have you been! We've been worried sick!"

_I've been… _Harry's eyebrows knotted in confusion, _I don't know…Oh._

He looked up startled and then abruptly stood and crouched with a very animalistic growl echoing in the back of his throat. Hermione and Ron tensed.

"Don't you dare," Hermione growled threateningly tensing.

_I'm not attacking anybody_, Harry growled.

Hermione stilled, "Then what--?" She looked to where Harry was looking and froze.

Out of the trees came a silver wolf. Larger then Harry had been, more graceful and sleek as well. It moved with an otherworldly confidence toward the three of them watching them with golden eyes that seemed far too intelligent for any animal Hermione had ever seen. The wolf walked slowly, taking time to give off the feel that it was not a threat. Harry slowly relaxed and sat down again. Ron stared at Hermione with his jaw dropped and Hermione glanced at him in confusion.

"Harry?" Hermione asked.

_Quiet_, Harry cautioned.

_Who's he to order us around?_ Ron asked Hermione angrily.

_She can hear you_, Harry snapped glaring at Ron with another strange growl.

_She_? Both Ron and Hermione asked.

The silver wolf sat serenely a few feet in front of Harry. Harry watched the wolf and whined back at it as though they were talking. Hermione and Ron's eyes widened as they realized he was indeed communicating with the wolf and the wolf with him. They could feel the conversation in their minds and as they watched Harry they could almost understand it too. So when the silver wolf growled deeply at Harry and Harry fell to the ground in subservience they realized that it was not threatening him, just scolding him. Scolding him for attacking his…pack mates?

Hermione looked at Ron raising an eyebrow. Ron shrugged then scowled as they both figured out why he had attacked them. Harry had thought Ron would be food…The silver wolf made a noise that sounded suspiciously of laughter as Ron thought about all the things he'd do to his best friend for thinking him food.

_I'm sorry_, Harry stated sadly to Hermione and Ron, _I hurt you both, and scared you. I wasn't…in the right mind_.

_You're damned right you weren't_, Ron scowled, _I'm not your dinner_.

Harry and the wolf snorted. Ron's scowl deepened.

"Harry, is she your totem?" Hermione asked quietly moving carefully up beside him, _I'm still mad at you_.

"Something like that," Harry whispered reaching out a hand in askance toward the wolf and ignoring Hermione's thought for the time being.

The Wolf walked up and sat in front of Harry looking away from him in permission. He smiled a little and gently entwined his fingers in her soft coat stroking the side of her neck. The wolf watched Hermione with laughing eyes and Hermione stared at her in awe. It sniffed her and began licking the wounds Harry had inflicted growling impatiently when Hermione yelped and tried to push her away.

_She's helping you_, Harry said quietly, _She won't hurt you. You aren't a threat to her_.

"Oh," Hermione said carefully, "I see. So…you're a wolf then?" The question had been sarcastic.

Harry looked at Hermione carefully his eyes clearer and surer then she'd ever seen them. They reminded Hermione of the wolf in front of her. Intelligent and confident, maybe even a little unnerving.

"Yes," Harry said quietly, "I am a wolf."

Hermione stiffened, the way he said that unnerved her a little. It wasn't, "my _totem_ is a wolf", it was "I _am_ a wolf".

"Yes, 'Mione," Harry said quietly, "It is as it sounds." _I am a wolf_.

"But that's not—," Hermione protested.

_Possible_? Harry asked caulking his head to the side and gazing at her with unblinking clarity.

Hermione shivered a little, he looked wild, alive at last maybe, but untamed. His gaze was dangerous, a predators gaze. The way he held himself, it was not as he had held himself three days ago when last she'd seen him awake.

"Then you're--?" She asked stroking the silver wolf's head.

Whole, Harry smiled.

Hermione and Ron looked at him startled. He hadn't smiled like that for—Great Merlin they could barely remember the last time he'd smiled like that. Even after escaping he'd still been a hollow shell, emotions were foreign on his face.

"I…did a lot of learning here." He said quietly, "Gained my identity back, I'm a person again…and I'm more than a person. She told me that she'd have to separate us for a small time. I had to go through a trial, one that could have killed me if I were distracted."

Hermione and Ron listened to Harry silently. His voice was still damaged, but his quiet words were stronger then they'd been.

"What do you mean trial?" Ron asked.

"How many wolf Animagi have you ever heard of?" Harry asked as answer.

Ron and Hermione frowned at each other thinking. They'd never heard of anyone becoming a wolf Animagus but that didn't mean that there were none.

Harry was shaking his head at their thoughts, "There have only been three of four successful wolf Animagi in known Wizard history."

"I doubt that," Hermione stated with a frown.

"No," Harry said with certainty, "It's true. Those who did not succeed in the process got stuck, somewhere in between wolf and human. They lost their minds and were cursed becoming what we know as werewolves."

Ron looked alarmed while Hermione frowned, "That's not the story I heard…"

"The mother wolf," Harry said slowly, "The Goddess moon chooses her children. It is rare for her to choose a human. She puts them through a trial, something that will teach them her ways and help them become one of her children. If they don't pass, they are cursed; if they do they become wolves."

"A Goddess Harry?" Hermione asked skeptically.

The wolf licking her wounds looked up at her with bemusement in its eyes and glanced at Harry.

Harry chuckled, "Yes," He said, "She's that stubborn."

"What?" Hermione asked, "What did she say?"

"She, Hermione, is the Mother Wolf," He stated.

Hermione jumped and stared at the Silver wolf, which now that she looked seemed to give off the same glow as the moon above them. Hermione stared at the majestic animal in awe and then noticed her wounds, which the wolf had steadily been working on, were nearly healed completely. The Wolf stared serenely into Hermione's eyes with a power and wisdom behind them that knocked the breath out of the young book worm. The Mother Wolf gave off a deep series of short sounds in the back of her throat that seemed to be the equivalent of chuckling. She stood gracefully and padded over to Ron who stiffened and tried to move away in fear.

_Don't struggle_, Harry suggested smiling, _She only wants to help you_.

"So…" Hermione said carefully, "Does this make you Pagan?"

Harry barked out a laugh that made both Ron and Hermione slack jawed. He hadn't laughed like that in years.

"Not nearly so," He chuckled, "Wolves don't like to be worshiped Hermione. They aren't human, and do not have the same emotions. They have emotions but they are different from humans. They aren't greedy either. Could you imagine a wolf demanding his or her children give a sacrifice of meat every night when that might cost them a winter meal?" He grinned, _They don't need praise or power. They simply, exist_.

"Oh good," Hermione stated, "No religious fanaticism then."

"No," Harry agreed smiling, _But_ _I am no longer just a human male_. He warned, _You'll understand soon enough_.

Hermione frowned, "You know how much that bothers me."

_I_ _know_, Harry smiled.

Ron yelped and both teenagers turned their heads to find Ron on the ground trying to fend off the Mother Wolf as she tried to get at the scratches on his face.

"Agh!" He yelped when she nipped his nose to keep him still, "What the hell Harry! Could you get your bloody _Mum_ off me?"

Harry laughed, "She's not my real Mum Ron!" He grinned, "And I have no more power over her then I do the moon."

Hermione frowned at Harry, "I still don't get it entirely," She said shaking her head, "But I assume since you're not completely loony you've passed your test."

"I almost hadn't," Harry admitted honestly, "I lost myself within the wolf so deeply I didn't recognize you two. If you hadn't snapped me out of it I would have been worse off than Lupin."

Hermione's frown deepened, "That's right," She said darkly, "We are going to be talking about that."

Harry nodded soberly watching Ron and the Silver wolf silently. Hermione took the chance to examine him a bit more. He sat like the wolf had; even in human form his stance was lazy yet ready. His movements were odd, graceful. He watched the Silver wolf and Ron silently, at ease with the scene but ready to interfere if he needed to. There was something to his face that hadn't been there before, something a little off. As though his jaw had become stronger…He grinned a little at the expletives that ran through Ron's head and Hermione was startled to notice that hi teeth were a smidge sharper then they'd been before. His eyes too, they had a sharper edge to them as if nothing lost his notice. There was strength to his musculature that had previously been destroyed after two years of Azkaban.

Hermione looked away trying to puzzle over the changes, _As soon as we get to the mainland I'm looking this up_. She warned.

_Of course_, Harry agreed.

The silver wolf stood gracefully releasing Ron from her motherly attention. Her majestic ears were pointed as though she heard something far off and she glanced at Harry silently. Harry stood slowly his face a stony mask. The wolf inclined her great head and turned with a swish of her tail. Ron and Hermione stood slowly watching her walk off into the moonlight. Her body seemed to become a part of the soft silvery light in the air until she was no longer even a figure. Hermione and Ron looked at each other bewildered while Harry relaxed a small smile of admiration on his face.

_She gave me a gift_, He admitted to them softly, _and I am sorry, truly sorry I lost myself in that gift_.

Ron looked at his hand, the one Harry had bitten and the wolf had healed. He sighed and then pulled his fist back punching Harry hard in the shoulder.

"Ow!" Harry yelped.

"Don't. _Ever_. Do that. _Again_." Ron snarled, "Now get over here."

Harry cautiously stepped over to Ron and the redhead grabbed him pulling him into a tight hug. Harry hesitantly returned the hug his eyes as round as saucers at the unexpected actions of his brother.

"I promised _her_ I'd drag you're skinny arse back to your body and I intend to do just that," Ron stated when he didn't let go of Harry, "Oh and if you ever view me as food again, I'll freaking skin you myself."

Harry barked out a laugh, _I won't blame you_. His eyes looked at Ron with amusement.

Ron let go of Harry and nodded, _As long as we're clear_.

Hermione didn't say anything she just walked past the two of them and shot them a glare as she transformed into the owl.

Harry winced, "She's going to be mad for a while." He predicted with foreboding.

_She was really scared mate_, Ron said quietly, _Maybe even more scared then me_. _She doesn't like feeling helpless_.

Harry sighed and shifted into the large black wolf that was his form, _I know_.

Ron became the Stallion beside him and began following Hermione at a canter.

_Tell me what happened while I was-,_ Harry loped calmly next to Ron.

_While you were losing your mind_? Ron snorted, _I'm noticing a pattern with you_.

_There shouldn't be much more risk of me losing my mind anymore_, Harry butted Ron's thigh with his canine nose.

Ron skipped to the side, _Hey careful! I'm still getting over the memory of your teeth going for my ankles_!

_Sorry_, Harry lowered his ears and head as he padded next to Ron.

Ron rolled a large dark eye at him, _I'll forgive you after the thousandth time you say that_.

Harry mentally frowned but backed off. He'd scared his friends. And they were tired of being scared which was understandable. He gave a long sigh with his tongue lolling out of his mouth and followed Ron.

********

"I can't believe you!" Hermione's voice boomed above him.

Harry blinked assaulted by the smell of wood and salt. The air was chilly but his blankets were heavy, constricting his body. He stilled feeling his chest tighten when he realized he couldn't move. He wiggled his hands against the heavy fabric that smelled of dust and moisture. His breath hitched in his throat and a sudden fear began to invade his senses.

"Harry?" Ron asked.

Harry gasped, "To tight!" He began kicking at the cocoon he was in his animalistic mind panicking at the thought of being helpless.

A growl tore through his throat alarming his friends as he struggled with the blankets.

_Harry! Harry, calm down!_ Hermione's was alarmed by how frightened he was, _We'll get you out, so stop moving_!

Harry stilled feeling the sincerity in her through their link. She and Ron gently unwrapped the blankets from around him. He watched them silently, unblinking. The minute he was free he rolled off the bed into wolf form and darted out of the cabin onto the deck of their small boat shivering.

Hermione and Ron followed watching him wearily.

_Harry_? Ron asked tentatively.

_I'm all right_, He said quietly, _I don't know why I reacted like I did…I just didn't like not being able to move_.

He shuddered shaking his whole body down to his tail. Hermione crossed her arms.

_You need to stop scaring us_, She said quietly, _You were out for three days Harry. Unconscious for __**three days**__. We couldn't feel you, couldn't hear you…It was as if you had disappeared when you were laying there right next to us_.

She shivered holding her arms to her chest she looked away from him, "And we find you only to be attacked and find your no longer…human?" Her voice was barely a whisper but Harry's keen ears could pick up not only her words but her thoughts as well.

A small whine escaped his jaw and he stood padding over to her with his ears laid back and his tail held tight between his hind legs, _I'm sorry_. Regret flooded Hermione and Ron, _I never wished to hurt either of you. You're my pack…my family. You're all I have in this world_.

Ron frowned crossing his arms, "Yeah, well you're all we've got too. So stop being a prick. Have you realized yet? That we are all in this together? That regardless of what any of us want we're stuck with each other?"

_Yeah_, Harry dropped his head until the tip of his muzzle grazed the wood floor, _I've got it now_.

Ron sighed and rolled his eyes, _This means I'll never be able to get rid of you huh_?

Harry and Hermione looked at Ron alarmed until they noticed the small grin on his lips. Relief was the foremost emotion flowing from Ron into the other two, annoyance was a close second but it was the relief that Harry was fine that touched the other two the most. Hermione frowned and stepped away from Ron not looking at Harry. He could feel she too was relieved, but she was confused and hurt as well. He crawled over to her clanking at Ron then back at her and whined.

'_Mione_? He asked, _I'm sorry, I really am. Look at me? Please_?

_No,_ Hermione turned her back on him.

He glanced at Ron again and lowered himself onto his belly whining again, _Please? Forgive me?_ He butted her ankle with his nose.

She glanced at him over her shoulder and snorted. He stared up at her with wide green eyes and the saddest puppy dog look he could muster. She turned around quickly but it was too late, both he and Ron had felt her amusement breaking through the ice.

"Idiot," She stated, "I'm going to go make dinner."

Harry jumped to his feet tail wagging madly and Ron laughed as Hermione retreated below deck.

"I think she's forgiven you," Ron smirked.

Harry allowed himself a small grin.

"Are you gonna be in that form all the time now?" Ron asked.

_No_, Harry responded, _Why_?

"Just wondering," Ron grinned a little to himself.

Harry's mouth dropped open, _What_ _do you mean 'good then he'll use the toilet'?_

A peal of laughter below had Harry draw himself up in indignation as his friends began to make doggy jokes to each other without even pretending to be secretive about it. His pride thoroughly stung Harry threw his snout into the air and sat down deciding that _they_ didn't need _his_ help to prepare the food. This just raised more jokes at his expense until he was so fed up with it he ran down the stairs and stole the fish they were preparing. Hermione and Ron yelled at Harry and Hermione grabbed her wand chasing him all over the boat sending harmless hexes after him.

* * *

Ok, since this is an idea I've had a verrrrryyyyy long time I know that some people might be sqeamish at the possibility of a deity entering the story. I was at first when I was writing this. I'm not at all religious so anything to do with religion makes me a little...uncomfortable. Don't worry though, the Deity does not have that strong a pull in the story, she's important only on the basis of Wolf politics which I will be getting into eventually. The Werewolf curse will be explained in more detail. Harry is still human in a base sense but he has been changed. It was important to the plot of the story. This does not make him all powerful, it just makes him a little more stable...Or less stable in some aspects. It will be a challenge trying to adapt to the heightened senses of the wolf and the politics which will come in later.

I hope you all enjoyed it. Please send constructive criticism, I really appreciate it.

-Red


	4. Drifting News

**In Silence We Walk **

**Disclaimer: ** I do not own the rights to Harry Potter or any of its characters.

**Drifting News**

The sun hit the deck warming the weather worn wood making it almost unbearable for bare feet. The summer was reaching its peak and even with the cold dry breeze the trio was beginning to feel the heat in the core of their bones. Hermione lay on top of the boat at the front with her feet propped up on the rope railing. Her hair was pulled up in a messy bun behind her and her arms rested languidly beneath her head. Her eyes were closed and her sleeves had been cut off. She'd tied her shirt up below her breasts so that her pale stomach was exposed to the sun and her jeans had been cut short as well so that her legs had better access to the breeze.

Land was a thin line in the great distance. Hermione estimated they'd reach it in a matter of days but no matter how fast they pushed the boat toward the dim line she felt as though they'd never reach it. She and Harry had made up over the attacking incident a few days ago but it was still weird noticing not only the physical differences he'd gone through but the mental and behavioral changes as well.

His sense of smell was extraordinary. Yesterday he'd sat leaning his head on the railing of the boat with a wistful expression. He could smell the coast; actually smell the different smells it offered on the breeze when the wind came from the right direction. Hermione and Ron hadn't believed him until he'd invited them into his mind and showed them the sensations he was experiencing. Both had come back to their own dulled minds feeling momentarily deaf and senseless. It had been the most bizarre experience Hermione. Her head still reeled from the new perspectives Harry had to contribute to the conversation. It was taking some getting used to, but underneath all of it he was still Harry. He was still her scared friend.

_Ouch! You did that on Purpose_! Ron's mental voice cut through Hermione's musings.

_Don't be a pansy Ron_, Harry snapped back playfully, _It was your own fault for not catching the Frisbee_.

_Whatever_, Ron said, _I_ _still don't get the point of this game_.

Hermione rolled her eyes and sighed, _What's there to get Ron_? She asked, _You throw the Frisbee then you catch it when you're partner throws it back to you_.

She pushed herself up onto her elbows and pulled her feet down from the railing.

_It's this contraption! It never goes the way I want it too_! Ron whined, _How are you supposed to throw it anyways?_

Hermione could feel Harry roll his eyes alongside her even as she stood to climb down to the deck to play with her boys.

"We all ready explained it to you Ron." Hermione said as she slid down onto the deck, "Should I show it to you again?"

Ron stared at her slack-jawed for a second and Hermione froze raising an eyebrow, _What_?

"Why'd you tie your shirt up like that?" Ron asked.

Hermione looked at Ron then Harry then she raised her hands and looked around the boat, "It's not like there's anyone else here. So why shouldn't I? It's cooler this way."

_Hmph_, "Whatever," Ron muttered looking away from Hermione.

Hermione raised an eyebrow while Harry barked out a laugh.

"Does it really bother you?" Hermione asked.

"No." Ron stated a little too quickly.

Hermione frowned and Harry laughed louder as she turned her mind to Ron's trying to understand through his feelings. She was surprised when she felt Ron push her away and scowl at her.

"Ron…what?" She asked exasperated.

"It's nothing ok?" Ron snapped, "Leave it be will you?"

It took Hermione a moment to realize what was bothering him, _Oh_, was all she said as a small blush lit her cheeks. The two of them had been an item once before Azkaban but the dreary experience had left those feelings to rot and eventually disappear. Hermione was a bit surprised and maybe even a little pleased to know those feelings still existed somewhere for Ron. Yet, it was weird. They shared emotions and feelings now. They'd been through so much that Hermione simply couldn't remember those feelings for Ron. It felt…awkward, different then it had before.

Ron's eyes met Hermione's and she realized that he felt the same weirdness about it that she had.

_Guys_? Harry asked silently, _Is everything ok_?

"I don't know," Hermione said quietly.

"I'm going below," Ron said quickly and retreated below deck.

Hermione resisted the urge to follow him as confused by her feelings as Ron was. Something had changed during Azkaban. Something they hadn't even noticed. She sat down on a crate next to the railing.

'_Mione_? Harry asked.

Even in human form he walked quietly, gracefully toward her as though his feet had wolf pads on the bottom of them instead of skin.

"Are you ok?" He asked softly, "I'm getting mixed emotions from you two." When would his voice ever recover from Azkaban?

"That's because we are _feeling_ mixed emotions," Hermione said quietly, "I'm afraid I don't have the same feelings for Ron that I used to have."

_Romantic feelings_? Harry asked caulking his head curiously to the side.

"Yeah," Hermione said quietly, "Those. I'm just…I'm confused."

Harry nodded placing a hand on her shoulder, _This is a small boat_. He said, _I'm sure things will work themselves out_.

Hermione smiled. It was easy with Harry. Her emotions for him were simple. He truly was her brother in every way except blood and he shared those feelings with her but then, what had Ron become? Harry shook his head. He had no answer for her.

********

_We need to get this repaired_, Harry wadded in the water beside the rudder.

His callused fingers felt the large crack gingerly. Last night something had hit their boat. It had woken them all up with a loud cracking noise. Harry assumed it had been some type of whale hitting the boat as there had been a bunch of them yesterday evening. The trio had fallen asleep on the deck watching their dark forms erupt from the ocean to dance with the waves.

_Great_, Ron's sarcastic voice rang in his head from somewhere above him, _How do you suppose we do that_?

_Well I assume we'd figure it out when we reached shore_, Harry stated, _I would think someone might be able to repair it_.

_Oh yes_, Ron rolled his eyes and leaned on the railing looking at Harry expressionlessly, _Let us just take_ _a_ stolen _boat to the docks and find someone who could repair a _Wizard's Rudder _with no money to pay for it. Sounds brilliant. Where should we start looking?_

_It was an assumption, _Harry growled_, Look, I know you've been in a mood lately but could you keep the sarcasm to a minimum and help me figure this out_?

_I could…_ Ron stated thoughtfully.

_Oh for Merlin's sake Ron_! Hermione's cross voice ripped into the connection, _Could you at least _pretend_ not to be such a prick_?

Ron's mouth snapped closed and a deep scowl graced his lips, _Fine, Harry I'm coming down_.

Ron pulled off his shirt and swung himself over the side of the boat splashing into the water beside Harry. He surfaced and glared at the wood paneling of the boat.

"Looks like we need to scrape off these barnacles too," He muttered.

A bucket with pumice plopped into the water beside Ron. Both boy's looked at it surprised.

_You're welcome_, Hermione stated from somewhere up on deck.

Ron's frown deepened as Harry fought the grin that threatened his lips. He grabbed a stone out of the bucket and offered the other to Ron with a raised eyebrow. Ron took it with a scowl and chucked the bucket back up to the deck. They nodded to each other and got to the grim task of scrubbing the sides of the boat to get rid of the salt build up and barnacles attached to it.

*****

"Good news," Ron grinned walking across the plank in a wooded town off the coast of Germany, "I found someone who speaks English that is willing to help us out if we help him out a bit."

"That's wonderful news!" Hermione jumped off the boat onto the board walk her face shining with a large grin.

Harry peeked his large furry muzzle over the side of the deck to look at the two of him his tail wagging, _Should I be human_? He asked.

"No," Hermione frowned, "We talked about this before." She was staring a Ron when she spoke.

Ron nodded, "Until we get some news." _You have to stay out of sight_.

Harry whined, _But we're in_ Germany_. How many people will recognize 'Harry Potter' in_ Germany?

"So what do we need to do?" Hermione asked Ron ignoring Harry's question.

Run chuckled as Harry's head disappeared back behind the railing of the deck pouting, "We need to help out in a fishing expedition."

"Fishing," Hermione smiled, "That shouldn't be too bad. We can certainly do that."

_Me and Ron could do it_, Harry said with a pout from somewhere in the boat.

"Yeah, and we can even take a share of the money gained to repair the boat." Ron grinned.

"And maybe for some new clothes too." Hermione said.

_And_ _a bath_, Harry added.

The three young adults groaned wishfully at the mention of a decent bath.

"Well," Ron stretched, "We should head over to meet with Mr. Vadur."

"Mr. Vadur?" Hermione asked.

"The guy I mentioned," He looked up at the clear blue sky with a smile, "It's supposed to rain sometime today, Mr. Vadur is eager to get out."

Hermione nodded, _Are you going to be ok on the ship alone_?

Harry whined.

_You know you need to stay here_, Hermione admonished, _It's not safe for you._

_No one could possibly recognize me as a wolf_, Harry grumbled.

_Oh_ _yeah_, Ron rolled his eyes, _They won't think it _odd_ to see a very large wolf wandering the streets of town_.

_Harry please_, Hermione pleaded softly, _We'll only be gone a few hours_.

_What if something happens to you two_? Harry asked.

_Nothing is going to happen to us_, Hermione admonished, _This is a very Muggle town. I doubt We'll run into any real threats here._

_Says you_. Harry pouted.

"Let's just go 'Mione," Ron placed a hand on her shoulder with an exasperated look, _He's in one of his moods, nothing we say will sway him_.

"Yeah, ok." Hermione frowned knowing Ron was right as harry hid his mind from them in protest.

Hermione and Ron walked down the board walk into town. Harry slinked over to the railing and watched them go with a soft whine. He fidgeted until they were out of sight and gave a tremendous huff shaking his mane in impatience. He understood the caution, but it irked him that his pack got to go out and hunt without him. He stood up and padded over to the cabin pushing the cabin door open with his muzzle. Inside the cabin he shed his wolf skin and stood on the two legs of a human. He needed to keep himself busy.

Harry pulled out his wand and a piece of wood. He ran the tip of his wand on the stem of the wood and a red spark erupted from the tip of his wand. Harry shook the wand impatiently making the spark smaller before placing it against the wood. A dark indent appeared wherever the wand touched the wood. Harry smiled working slowly carving and shaping the wood. He hated being idle. He'd discovered this little trick with his wand one night on the open water with absolutely nothing to do and nothing pleasant to dream about.

Harry rubbed a darkened area of the wood with his thumb feeling and smoothing the alteration with a small touch of magic in his skin. The carving was shaping itself slowly, but nicely into a circular bracelet with soft curves and intertwining vines. He paused in his work turning the bracelet around in his hand wondering what else he could do with it. He wanted to make one for each of his friends; maybe even one for himself. He also wanted to better understand how magic reacted with wood so that he could place protective spells in the bracelets. After all it was only a matter of time before one of their enemies found them. Harry wanted to be prepared for when that happened. He would not go back to Azkaban, not ever, and nor would either of his friends.

Harry's wand slipped out of his hand clattering on the wooden floor the light at the tip sputtering out of existence. Harry stared at it for a few minutes unblinking wondering when his hand had gone slack enough for the wand to slip out of his hand. This thought brought on another saddening thought, Ron and Hermione saw him as fragile. It was frustrating. They often treated him as though one wrong glance or word would push him off the deep end. He couldn't even really blame them; both Hermione and Ron unwittingly shared his dreams.

Speaking of his friends…Harry shivered, his head snapped up to sniff at the air around him. His green eyes narrowed at the world around him. The inside of the cabin creaked with the movement of the water beneath it and was still but for the slow rocking the water presented.

_Hermione? Ron_? Harry asked questing out.

Salt water hit his nostrils and the feel of a strong scratchy knot of rope was present in his palms. The sun beat hard against his friends' skin and Harry could feel the oppressive heat sink into his cheeks tingling into his cool skin.

_What's wrong_? Hermione asked.

_I thought something was wrong on your end_, Harry shook his head, _But you seem fine_.

_Jumpy without us?_ Ron asked with a mental grin.

Harry grinned wryly to himself, _Probably_.

_Aw, poor puppy_, Hermione teased, _We'll be back later, find something to occupy that paranoid mind of yours_.

_I am_, Harry said sighing, rubbing the smooth wood of the bracelet between his thumb and forefinger.

He rubbed his eyes and shut them back out again allowing them to focus on what they were doing. It seemed that this Mr. Vadur was a very amusing old man with plenty of interesting stories to keep Hermione and Ron occupied while they worked. Harry rubbed the bridge of his nose wishing he was with them instead of being stuck on the boat.

Harry stood pacing around the small front room of the cabin agitated. They finally reach shore and he was still confined to this small space. It was like a cell…Harry shivered and shoved his large form back into his wolfs skin nudging his way out the door. He needed out of the cabin and off the boat.

_No Harry_! Hermione yelled at him dropping her end of the net, _Don't you dare._

Harry ignored her and felt her alarm and disappointment as he jumped off the boat.

_I_ _have to Hermione_, Harry growled shoving an image into her mind of the dark dank cell he'd been held captive in for two years, _I will not be caged_.

He felt her real away from him as if slapped.

Harry paused halfway down the board walk with his nose in the air, _Sorry_, he said lowering his head and ears, _I didn't mean_…

_You did_, Ron stated quietly, _We_ _aren't keeping you prisoner Harry you know that_.

_I know I just_….

_You need out_, Hermione felt resigned, _Just…try to stay out of town ok_?

_I will_, Harry promised.

Hermione and Ron glanced at each other understanding.

_He'll be fine_, Hermione found herself telling Ron.

Ron raised an eyebrow, _Am I the one you need to be telling that to_?

Hermione didn't answer; she just focused on repairing the net in her hands.

"You haven't done that often have you?" Mr. Vadur asked sitting down across from Hermione and picking up a corner of the net.

Hermione smiled sheepishly at the old man, "Not often, no. But more recently, yeah. Am I doing it right?" She held the netting up for the old man to see.

"Hmmm…"He said stroking his salt and pepper chin, "You've a fine job mimicking the knots but you've a long way to go before you'd be an expert. How long did you say you and your boy have been traveling?"

"Two years," Hermione answered scrutinizing her work, "but not all of it has been by sea. Our boat was given to us by a friend and is kind of a new obsession."

Mr. Vadur laughed, "An obsession, yes, you could call the open sea that."

"Have you traveled on the Ocean much?" Hermione asked curiously.

She could feel Ron tune into their conversation with equal amount of curiosity. Harry had found a strange smelling trash can on land and it was hard to get the smell out of either of their noses.

"Mmhmm," The old man nodded, "When I was younger and more capable I was highered out to work with one of the larger fishing companies in the Arctic. That would be a place you don't want to be going to kid, it be colder then hell up there."

Hermione smiled serenely, "I'm no stranger to the cold." Her fingers tightened on the net as she pulled a knot taught.

"Ho!" Mr Vadur smiled, "That Knot is looking better!"

"Thank you." Hermione smiled more genuinely pushing Harry and Ron away as though shoving away over eager children.

"So if you've been travelling for a few years then you wouldn't have any new knowledge about what's been happening in England then would you?" Mr. Vadur asked curiously.

Hermione and Ron froze, instinctually they looked at each other alarmed. Mr. Vadur raised an eyebrow at the two of them as they looked at each other worried and confused.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked carefully.

"Where did you two say you'd been?" Mr. Vadur asked watching them with keen blue eyes.

"We've been at sea for a while," Hermione answered as though engrossed in her work, "We've come down from the north after visiting friends in Russia. We've traveled through china down to India and before then we were in Australia. It was our graduation present from our parents." The lie flowed with the ease of simple conversation, "We have been travelling to all the old religious sites in an Anthropological study on similarities in different cultures and sacred sites. I'm using the research in a thesis for my university application and Ron is along for the ride."

Ron stayed silent privately congratulating her on her quick thinking and ease of wit.

"We've been in a lot of back road type places cut off from allot of the world news," Hermione explained, "So we haven't heard much about England. We went to Russia because I have family friends there and have been concerned because I haven't heard allot from my family. Do you have any news?"

That much was true; she was dreadfully worried about her parents. Seeing as how they were Muggles she doubted very much that anything too dreadful had happened to them, but she knew they worried about her. She even had family friends living in Russia, so the lie could easily be backed up if they needed it to be.

"Ah Anthropologists!" The old man grinned, "A good line of work if a little nosy." He nodded, "I suppose then you didn't know that all communication to England has been cut off. It's as though they are dead to the world. Mind the internet has some pretty interesting images coming out from there but even those are rare and far in between. No one can even fly over the island. It's as though there were an invisible barrier making it all but impossible to see what's going on down there."

Hermione didn't need to hide her alarm, "A barrier?" She asked incredulously, "How?"

"Nobody knows," The old man shook his weathered head, "All that is known is that no one can get into the airspace or even water space of the island. I was kind of hoping one of you two might have some more news."

Hermione shook her head in apology, "When did they stop communications?"

"Hmmm…" Mr Vadur looked up at the sky stroking his chin in thought, "About a year ago I think. It's been madness since then. The economy has been completely thrown out of whack and world tensions have been rising. No one can get in there and those that were in beforehand have yet to come out. I have a friend whose niece went to school there for a study abroad program. She hasn't heard from her since the war broke out, that was a year and a half ago."

"War!" Hermione exclaimed, "Between who?"

"It's some kind of civil war," The old man said, "And it's not the Irish who are breaking out. Ireland is just about the only place anyone near there can get a hold of right now communication wise." He shook his head, "There's talk that the UN might actually get involved with this one but nobody really believes it will happen. There's something weird going on over there and strange things have been popping up all over the world since then. As it is everyone is waiting, as though holding their breath."

"Everyone?" Hermione asked.

"Well the allied nations for sure, but mostly just the governments." The old man nodded, "Yep, there's a storm brewing on that Island. Don't know what will come of it, but mark my words, it will change the way we look at our world in the end."

Hermione felt it, a foreboding that runs down the spine raising every miniscule hair on the skin of the back as she listened. The news, what little there was, was disturbing. She looked at Ron worried.

_What's going on over there_? She asked.

Ron fidgeted nervously, _Don't_ _know 'Mione, but I'm worried_.

_I am too_. Hermione bit her lower lip in thought, _I don't think we'll be able to get home any time soon if there really is a barrier up_.

_Something_ _doesn't feel right_, Harry's voice whispered to them through their link, _You can't just cut off all forms of communication. Don't the Muggles have satellites? There's no way_ nobody _knows what's going on…_

_We need to find other Wizards_, Ron said, _They might know more about what's happening_.

_I thought you didn't care about England Ron_. Hermione stated.

_I care about my family_, Ron growled, _the rest of the bastards that put us in Azkaban can just go to hell for all I care_.

_The entire Wizarding community didn't stick us into Azkaban_, Hermione mentally frowned.

_No but their government did_, Harry supported, _I'm with Ron on this one,_ _I care about the people I knew and loved there, but for the rest of them…I'm not sure I can muster any sympathy_.

_You are both being selfish_, Hermione scolded.

_Well I for one think we deserve to be a little selfish_, Ron argued, _After everything we went through, you deserve a little selfishness too_.

Hermione glared at Ron but didn't disagree. All she could think of was the fact that if communications had been cut, then the Muggles too were feeling the heat of Voldemort's grip. It made her terribly nervous and worried for her family.

_Oh_, Ron said quietly, _I didn't think about that_.

_And all the other Muggles_? She asked, _Those who had nothing to do with our incarceration_?

_Sorry, 'Mione_, Harry said quietly, _Your_ _right, I didn't think about that either_.

_I don't blame you two_, Hermione said, _the thought that Muggles might be pulled into our struggle…never really crossed my mind either. Until now_.

She felt a mental warmth encircle her, the equivalent of a mental hug from her two boys. She closed her eyes and 'hugged' back silently accepting their apologies.

"I'm sorry," Mr. Vadur said as he watched Hermione and Ron's faces as they conversed silently, "You two must be really close to be able to communicate without words. My news must come as a shock to you."

"It does," Hermione agreed smiling nervously wondering if he thought them weird.

"Well if you'd like, when we get back I have a friend who might know more then I can tell you," Mr. Vadur amended.

"That would be appreciated," Hermione smiled gratefully.

"Good," He said slapping his hands to the deck and pushing himself up, "Now I'm sure it's about time to pull those fish in. Shall we?"

Hermione nodded and joined the old seafarer standing next to Ron and helping them turn the lever to begin pulling the net up out of the water. Hermione was grateful Ron didn't say anything about the Muggle pulley system that was responsible for pulling the fish up out of the water. She laughed a little at his envy. He and Harry had been pulling the fish out of the water by hand for the past month, he saw how easily the pulley brought the fish on deck and felt his astonishment. The boy had a great deal to learn about the marvels of Muggle technology and this wasn't even very complicated technology.

Harry mentally chuckled alongside Hermione. They really needed to introduce Ron to a computer. Maybe that would be a good start to finding more news. The Internet, Hermione new, was something that couldn't simply be "turned off", maybe there would be more information there too.

_I'm coming with you two when you go see Mr. Vadur's friend_. Harry announced.

_No_! Ron and Hermione firmly chanted.

_I'll go as your…dog, ok_? Harry pleaded, _No one will know I'm more then what I look like_.

_I don't like it_, Hermione mentally frowned.

_Harry's right though_, Ron stated, _how_ _is anyone to know he's not just some mangy mutt_?

_Oi_…Harry growled.

_No offense Harry_, Ron grinned, _But_ _he has to be part of this_ '_Mione_, Ron addressed Hermione, _He's as much a part of this as we are_.

_How would you feel if you were left behind when someone could give you really important information_, Harry accused Hermione.

_All right_, Hermione snapped, _Fine. But can you blame me for worrying_?

_You wouldn't be you if you didn't worry_, Harry mentally grinned.

_Yeah 'Mione, it's what we love about you_, Ron teased.

_Both of you can shut it_, Hermione growled with a small smile.

* * *

Thus the fourth chapter is released. Hope you enjoyed it. Constructive criticism is always welcome.

-Red


	5. The Informant's Warning

**In Silence We Walk **

**Disclaimer: ** I do not own the rights to Harry Potter or any of its characters.

**The Informant's Warning**

The boat floated serenely into the wharf and Ron and Hermione helped unload the fish they'd helped catch. The sky was darkening, not with the falling sun but with foreboding clods that built upwards into the blue sky. They separated the ocean and the sky for as far as the eye could see. Hermione and Ron were grateful to get back to land before it started raining. Mr. Vadur seemed grateful as well. It was getting too late to fix their mast, he said, but it was a perfect opportunity to go visit his friend Ms. Tutti.

"Is she German?" Hermione asked wondering about her name.

"Nope," The old man grinned, "Italian. Moved here a while back rather mysteriously and opened a bookshop down our central lane. Gave me a cookie after I broke her window when I was a kid. She's older than most the folk in this town but don't be fooled, she's a sprightly old woman."

Hermione and Ron looked at each other raising identical eyebrows, _Is she a witch_? They both wondered.

A large black wolf bounded down the wharf toward Hermione and Ron his tongue lolling out of his mouth like an excited puppy. His green eyes sparkled in mischief as he pounced on Ron with his large front paws toppling the poor boy over onto his bum.

"Oy!" Ron yelped as he tumbled to the ground, "What the bleeding--? Harry!" He snapped as Harry jumped off of him to hide behind Hermione giving off a gloriously throaty bark playfully.

Hermione frowned, "Don't you hide behind me mutt."

Harry 'hrumphed' at her in indignation as Ron pulled himself up dusting off his backside.

Mr. Vadur was staring at the three of them with a mixture of confusion and amusement, "Your dog?" He asked.

"Not our dog," Ron muttered, "Our stray is more like it." He was grinning as he said it.

"Yes," Hermione grinned exasperated as Harry retaliated mentally while pretending to be interested in the large net of fish they were pulling off the boat, "He's ours." She rolled her eyes at his antics, "I _thought_ he was staying on the boat."

Inwardly she could hear Harry's airy chuckle. He was far to amused by how easily they were all lying.

"I hope your friend doesn't mind," Hermione said, "He's impossible, I really don't want him wandering around town and causing mischief."

"Just keep him away from my fish," The old man grinned all ready scratching an obedient Harry behind the ear, "I'm sure Adele won't mind one more."

"Harry," Ron said in a commanding tone pointing over to the side_, You heard the man_.

_You really think I'm going to obey you_? Harry asked caulking his head with a wolfish grin.

_Harry, please_? Hermione asked with a sigh.

Harry got up and sauntered over to a spot well away from the fish lying down with a huff and eyeing the fish regretfully.

Hermione shot a glare at Ron behind Mr. Vadur's back.

_Hey_, Ron said defensively, _How many opportunities do I get to order Harry around? You think I was going to pass up a chance like that_?

Harry snorted at him and Hermione grinned, _He has a point_.

_Doesn't mean I have to play along_. Harry said defensively, _I'm a _wolf_, not a _dog.

He held his nose up in the air and very deliberately laid his head in the opposite direction of his "masters".

Hermione and Ron looked at each other hiding smiles.

After they got the fish unloaded and re-loaded into a truck the rain was well on its way to becoming a down pour. Mr. Vadur allowed Hermione and Ron to borrow some heavy ponchos. Harry found shelter beneath one of the planks by another boat. After receiving pay from the truck driver for the fish Mr. Vadur took the three of them through town to a small, older looking little book store with a German sign proclaiming its patronage out front in swirling gold leaf letters. The building was a dank grey-blue made of wooden planks and dirty red shingles for roofing. The window was large but unpolished. The trio could see dust in the corners of each individual square of glass.

When the door opened an old fashioned bell chimed their entering and Hermione's mouth dropped open. On the far right wall was an extended section of books with incense curling up into the atmosphere and a couple cauldrons. The extension shouldn't have been there, it was much too large for the small room.

_This is a Wizards shop_, Ron said noticing the same thing.

_Can the Muggle see it_? Harry asked looking up at the two of them.

His fur was matted to his too-skinny form and Ron and Hermione winced at all the water that was dripping off his fur onto the small carpet placed at the entrance. Somehow, he didn't look as big and foreboding when he was wet. He appeared more as the mangy mutt as they'd been calling him rather than a noble wolf. Hermione and Ron hid a grin as Harry growled a little at them.

"Is something wrong with your dog?" Mr. Vadur asked eyeing Harry with worry.

"No," Hermione grinned, "He just doesn't like being wet."

Mr. Vadur laughed, "He and I have that in common."

An aged, gravelly, voice called out from the back of the shop in German to the four of them. Mr. Vadur called out in German as well and stepped fully into the room with a smile on his face. A short old woman with frizzy silver hair and large bifocals walked out from the back room. She was wrinkled from a life of laughter and her eyes twinkled at the four of them in a friendly matter that was disturbingly familiar. When she glanced at Ron, harry and Hermione her welcoming smile was wise and knowing. It was disconcerting as well as though she knew with one look exactly what they three were.

"Buona sera Waldein!" She smiled grasping Mr. Vadur by the shoulders and patting them familiarly.

It was a little comical to see such a short wizened old woman reaching all the way up to the towering shoulders of the "younger" old man in front of her.

"Buona sera, Signora Adele," Mr. Vadur grinned, "I brought some English friends to greet you."

"English!" She smiled at the three, "How wonderful to see some English children in these hard times! Benvenuto! Welcome! Come in! Come in!" She beckoned, "Le cane as well, the dog," she explained, "Come!"

They walked in carefully looking around at the Muggle half of the bookstore with interest. Hermione was amused to find Muggle tomes on witchcraft and folklore. Ron wondered about some of the German books that had pictures of cars and computers on the front. He kept looking at the Muggle half then the wizard half and compared the drastic change between the two. The wizard books all had pictures of various movements on them and some had glowing letters on their spines. The Muggle books looked dull in comparison.

"Now," Ms. Tutti smiled brining them into the back of the store through the storage room into a small kitchen, "Why did you bring me such young pups Waldein?" She asked preparing a kettle of tea.

"They've been traveling for a long time Adele," Mr. Vadur explained, "When I told them about the war they were surprised, didn't know a thing about it." He shrugged to her questioning gaze, "I brought them to you because you seem to know more about what's happening over there then I can tell them."

Ms. Tutti raised a silver eyebrow at Ron and Hermione, "I do know a few things that are occurring there," She said carefully, "What is it you would like to know?"

Hermione and Ron exchanged a cautious glance, "We wondered," Hermione began, "if there would be any way to get any word over there. I haven't heard from my parents for…at least a year." She paused and Ron placed a hand on her shoulder, "We had no idea about what was occurring over there until today. I'm a bit worried."

"Mr. Vadur told us that no one can get into the island," Ron said quietly, "We are a little worried about getting home."

Harry straitened up beside them his ears trained on the old woman as she set cups of steaming tea in front of her guests. His ears slowly lowered as he sniffed the tea Mr. Vadur was drinking. It didn't smell right, it smelled like—Harry had had that concoction before. He acted quickly without thinking jumping up into Hermione's lap with a resounding bark knocking the small porcelain cup out of her hands with a snarl.

"Harry!" she yelped, "What--?"

Mr. Vadur crumpled in his chair his head hitting the top of the table unconscious. Ron jumped to his feet brandishing his wand at Ms. Tutti as Harry informed the two of them that the tea was laced with a sleeping draught.

"You are a Strega," Ms. Tutti observed calmly.

"A sleeping draught!" Hermione yelled pointing at Mr. Vadur, "You're a witch!"

"As are you," She nodded, "and so is the cane," She nodded to Harry, "You are here for real news no?"

"Yes," Hermione said stiffly.

"Then as much as I adore the young Waldein," She smiled sadly at Mr. Vadur, "he cannot know this side of the information. The German Ministry is very strict about our existence staying secret. They are not at all happy with the English right now."

"Why?" Hermione asked.

"Because it is the English who are pulling the Muggles into Strega business." Ms. Tutti explained.

"What does 'Strega' mean?" Ron asked keeping his wand on Ms. Tutti steadily.

"It's means…What is the English term?" She narrowed her eyes in thought, "Witch? Yes, that is the meaning."

"I'm a Wizard," Ron snapped, "Witches are girls."

Ms. Tutti raised an eyebrow, "Not everywhere Lui," She smiled, "Every language has a different term for magical people. To the English you make a gender difference between male and female, Mago, Magicians. To some countries there is only one term for both male and female magicians. To my people you," She pointed at Ron, "are a Strego, you're female friend is a Strega. You are both Streghi." She looked at Harry with her hands on her hips, "And you, boy, are very rude to stay in that form."

Harry stretched and discarded his wolf skin for his human body watching the old woman warily as he stood up on two legs slowly.

She watched him with awe, "It has been a long time since I have laid eyes on one of your kind. Are you a Strego too?"

"I'm a Wizard," Harry nodded carefully.

"I have _never_ seen that." She said quietly.

Harry fidgeted uncomfortably beneath her piercing gaze.

"Please," She said gesturing around at the chairs on the table, "Sit," She grinned "I will not feed you anything else dishonest. I had just wanted to make sure you were what I thought you were. One can never be too cautious."

They sat carefully eyeing her suspiciously.

"Why all the deception?" Hermione asked.

"Don't you know?" She asked, "The only English that have been coming out of England have not been kind. In fact the latest news we have received from there is of a jail-break in their famous Azkaban. Now because this is the only news we have received since the fall of the British Ministry…It's important to be cautious."

"If the Ministry has fallen…who put up the barrier?" Hermione asked quietly.

"A Tyrant," Ms. Tutti shrugged, "At least, that is the whisper."

"Who," Ron asked, "Voldemor--?" Ms. Tutti held up a finger to her lips.

"Do not speak his name!" She snapped, "Can you think of any other?"

"Why not speak his name?" Harry asked.

"It is a Taboo." She said quietly, "I heard that if the name is spoken something terrible will happen."

"But we're not in England," Hermione said, "Surely the taboo only extends to the English Isles."

Ms. Tutti shrugged, "That is the news that I have heard."

"What about this Azkaban break out?" Harry asked quietly, "What's the news on that? You said it's just about the only news to have come out of England."

Ms. Tutti narrowed her eyes at Harry, "I've been meaning to ask you, boy," She stated quietly, "But what is wrong with your voice? Can you not speak louder?"

Harry's eyes grew guarded and Hermione and Ron tensed, "It's what happens when a person screams allot."

Her eyes narrowed, "Did you…perhaps, come here from England?"

The trio stayed silent watching her unblinkingly.

"Then you are…Harry Potter?" She asked.

Ms. Tutti quickly found herself to be the attention of three wands in her face. The three young adults had jumped out of their chairs the minute they'd heard her utter Harry's name. She looked at the hard determination in each child's eyes and saw a cold calculation that had nothing to do with ignorance. They three were haunted, that much she had been able to tell just from looking at them when they had walked across her threshold and into her shop.

"Calm yourselves," She said slowly holding up wizened old palms defensively, "I can see that you have suffered a great deal. If you explain to me why you were in Azkaban, and why you have escaped, I may be understanding."

"We can't trust you now that you know Harry's identity," Ron snarled.

"His identity was not very well hidden." She chuckled, "You came here for information, no?" Ms. Tutti asked calmly, "Information does not always come cheap. I ask for your story as payment. That should be simple enough."

"We could kill you instead," Harry said quietly.

"What would you gain from that?" Ms. Tutti asked, "Do you think me scared of death? I am over a hundred years old. I lost my fear of death a long time ago. So put those sticks down."

Slowly the three of them lowered their wands and they sat back down.

They looked at each other, conversing mentally on whether or not they should risk telling her about Azkaban. The information, they needed. But there was always the possibility that they would find a less risky informant later on down the road.

Hermione sighed, "I need an oath, a magical one that you will tell no one about us and about our story."

"Would you like it in writing?" Ms. Tutti asked.

"An unbreakable oath." Ron growled.

Ms. Tutti shook her head, "I will not risk my magic for an oath that can be equally binding on paper." She glanced at them with a knowing twinkle in her eye, "Besides, I have a feeling you might need me to use this information later on in the future. I am very good at spreading rumor and causing stirs in the community."

_Somehow that isn't surprising_, Harry said.

Ron snorted his agreement.

"Paper then," Hermione agreed.

"Ottimo!" She said nodding, "Come," She motioned to Hermione, "You seem like the smart one. We will draw up an agreement."

She_ seems like the smart one_? Ron asked.

_Well, she is Ron_, Harry answered with a shrug.

Ron crossed his arms knowing that he couldn't disagree. Ron and Harry had both of their thoughts tuned solely on Hermione to make sure the old woman didn't do anything to her while the two of them were alone. They also helped Hermione check over the written agreement they were drawing up with their wands.

When they came back in ermione Ron and Harry signed one side of the document and Ms. Tutti signed the other. Once her quill came free of the parchment the contract glowed for a moment and then dimmed.

"There," Ms. Tutti smiled, "I can not speak of whatever transpires from here until you leave my premises. My word will now bind my lips until one of you three give me permission to speak of this moment."

"Meaning she literally won't be able to talk about us, or whatever we talk to her about." Hermione explained.

Ron and Harry nodded.

"Now," Ms. Tutti sat down again with a sigh, "Why don't you explain to me what has happened to you? Then I will be able to tell you anything I know about what is going on in the Strega community."

"We were placed into Azkaban two years ago." Hermione began.

"Because we snuck into the Ministry illegally." Ron added, "They were prosecuting Muggle born witches and wizards for 'stealing' magic."

"Hmm…" Ms. Tutti nodded, "I remember that proclamation. I few purist groups in other countries tried to imitate that belief but couldn't gain any grounds for it. Most of the magical community is muggle born in Germany."

Hermione nodded, "That's why it never made sense other then the obvious fact that magic is genetic in all human beings," Hermione shook her head exasperated, "The gene, when unused, becomes dormant and acts as a recessive gene only really awakening every other few generations. That's why we have Muggle born witches and wizards."

"When we were caught we were looking for something that might be able to help us in the war that was brewing," Harry said.

"But after being caught we lost what we were looking for," Hermione stated, "And then I was used as a scapegoat for their ridiculous theory. 'Look at this muggle born witch; she broke into the Ministry to steal its magical secrets'!" Her face was dark and bitter, "They snapped my wand and with the approval of the enraged public threw me into jail without trial. Harry and Ron could have escaped my fate."

"No," Ron shook his head gently squeezing Hermione's hand, "What happens to one of us happens to all of us. The Ministry had it in for Harry all ready. They only needed an excuse. He was dangerous because politically he could undermine the Ministries efforts and in effect Volde—You-Know-Who's efforts. I was outspoken, all ready considered a liability because I came from a Muggle loving family who held a great deal of political power in the side of the light allies. By destroying me they destroyed the credibility of my family."

"So in effect we three were thrown into jail together, without trials to prove our innocence." Hermione stated, "All they needed to do was print a few well placed lies and the public was clamoring to throw us away. Harry had become a 'Dark Wizard Terrorist'. The next 'Dark Lord'. Nobody wanted the Boy-Who-Lived, the only one powerful enough to ever defeat You-Know-Who to use that mysterious power against _them_. It was better to not risk it then allow him to roam free and become the next You-Know-Who."

"So for two years," Harry stated horsely, "For two years we were forgotten. Shut away and slowly driven mad. The only thing keeping ourselves sane was the fact that we were innocent and still had each other."

"We escaped because we were losing Harry," Hermione said quietly, "Ron and I simply couldn't watch him fall any longer. We had to escape. So we did, fighting all the way out of the prison. I still can't believe we did it." She took Ron and Harry's hands in her own with a small smile, "But here we are."

Mrs. Tutti leaned back in her seat crossing her arms as she looked at the three sitting across from her, "I have been around long enough to know when someone is telling me the truth. My old bones ache in the presence of a liar." She smiled sadly, "What great trials you have been through."

The trio looked at each other not knowing how to respond.

Mrs. Tutti smiled and slapped her knees, "I will help you." She proclaimed proudly as she pushed her old knees to standing, "You will have to forgive me, what little information I have is old, England has been out of contact for a while." She reached upward into a cabinet above her head fishing out some old German and Italian newspapers that had moving pictures on them.

Tapping the papers with her pointer finger and giving them a glare caused all of the letters on the pages to rearrange themselves into English words. She placed the papers in front of the three young adults.

"You may take these with you," She said, "And while you are here you can help me around my shop until you get enough money to move on. You three will want to keep moving." She looked at Harry, "You will do better as a wolf whenever you are in town. The closest wolf clan is too far north of here for anyone to recognize you for what you are. I _am_ _curious_ to know how you became what you are. It is my understanding that Harry Potter is only a wizard."

"Thank you," Hermione said.

"I am not finished," Mrs. Tutti warned looking at all three, "If you run into any other wolves on your journey be wary. The clans are secretive and extremely territorial. They are not always kind to stranger wolves and their companions."

The trio nodded understanding.

"We plan to travel only on the coast if we have to," Hermione said, "We don't want to attract attention. We're on the run still. We don't know how far Voldemort's reach is."

"It is farther than it should be," Mrs. Tutti said nodding, "There are Voldemort supporters even here, but they are few and far in between I doubt you will have to worry much."

"Thanks," Ron said, "We appreciate it."

Mrs. Tutti waved a hand in the air dismissively, "Come, if you are going to work in my shop for a while then we are going to be friends. You will stay here while the storm passes." She looked at the sleeping muggle and smiled, "Well now, it is time to wake this one up. We will make dinner. Come, help me get ready." She tapped Mr. Vadur and the old man woke with a start blinking bleary eyes at the other three.

"I'm sorry," He yawned, "Must've passed out from all of the sun."

"You're not drinking enough water," Mrs. Tutti reprimanded placing a cup of water down in front of him.

"Ah," Mr. Vadur smiled, "Thank you."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione hid small smiles. It felt good to be around another wizard. After Harry introduced himself to Mr. Vadur as another friend of Ron and Hermione's they helped Mrs. Tutti set up the table and she had the three of them cutting vegetables and cooking meat. She herself over took the seasonings stating that the English new nothing about proper seasonings. They made pasta and threw everything together in a large pot so by the time everything was done the smell wafted out an open window to be caught up in the mist that had developed after the rain had stopped. They sat around the table talking about the fishing and the crazy weather then cleaned up and bid Mr. Vadur good bye. Harry became a wolf again and the trio walked back to their boat with papers in hand.

They sat down and after reading the papers the trio huddled together on their bed.

_It's wrong_, Hermione shook her head, _All_ _wrong. This shouldn't have happened_.

_But it did happen,_ Harry said, _We weren't exactly there to stop it were we?_

_Yeah but civil war?_ Ron asked, _Where is the ministry? Where was the Order? How did they let it get to this?_

"They captured _Wizards_," Hermione said, "On camera, on actual footage, more than once."

"Notice they stopped using the word 'Terrorist' in the last paper?" Ron asked.

_Witches_, Harry nodded, _They were calling us for what we are_.

"Not seriously though," Hermione said, "They were using the title as though it were something a group of terrorists might use it to distinguish themselves. The Muggle papers are skeptical; the Wizard ones are furious and scared."

"And then the minute Vol-wait," Ron held a hand up remembering Mrs. Tutti's warning, Voldemort's_ name is mentioned England gets cut off_? He continued silently, _Does that seem like a _coincidence_ to you_?

_Not at all_, Harry frowned, _Either he did it himself or—_

_Or someone else dosen't want the world to know what's going on in England_, Hermione finished.

_Does it seem like when the Wizard papers got agitated_, Harry asked, _the time line is a little close to the time Mrs. Tutti said England was first cut off_?

_You don't think the other Wizarding nations, fearing for their secrecy_… Ron didn't finish the sentence, he didn't have two, the other two were thinking along the same lines as him.

Did the other international ministries cut England off on purpose trapping all of the inhabitants within? Was England even aware they were cut off from the rest of the world?

_They wouldn't,_ Hermione frowned, "That would be a bad idea politically. The English Ministry did have allies."

"But were those allies still considered valid when the ministry was taken over?" Ron asked, "The shift in power might have changed the treaties."

"It is possible the other ministries decided it was in their best interests to stay out of the conflict," Hermione stated, "Civil wars are internal problems after all."

_But when that civil war threatens to reveal to the world your existence_? Harry asked, _Voldemort isn't subtle, the Wizarding world noticed this. He was jeopardizing centuries of secrecy._

"If Britain became a national threat…?" Ron asked.

"I still don't think it would be a good idea," Hermione frowned.

Harry stood and walked out of the room.

"Harry?" Hermione and Ron asked in unison.

_I just got a perturbing thought_, He explained turning wolf and going out to sit on the deck, _I'll be in the Sanctuary if you need me._

His consciousness slipped away from them as he left the living world to travel in the sanctuary of his own mind becoming a dark blue thread instead of a thought. Hermione and Ron looked at each other confused. He hadn't indulged what that perturbing thought had been. But if either of them had to guess it was something personal or he wouldn't have run to the privacy of the Sanctuary.

For three weeks they worked in Mrs. Tutti's bookstore discussing with her the news she had given them. She had no better insight in why England was cut off from the world or who had done it. She'd always assumed that it had been Voldemort's doing.

As they worked at the bookstore Mrs. Tutti taught them valuable lessons about being secretive with their identities and how to create believable stories. She helped them get fake passports so that they wouldn't first be recognized as English and taught them Language spells that would help them when they interacted with other people in various countries. Harry spent the time as a wolf entertaining any and all of Mrs. Tutti's guests or simply staying out of the way until he could help out around the shop. Something was still bothering him, he couldn't hide his emotions from his friends, but he never indulged what it was that worried him. So Ron and Hermione let him be figuring he couldn't hide it forever.

The last night of the second week Harry disappeared. Hermione and Ron, furious, called out to him and got no response. They could feel him ignoring them as he moved into the forest behind the town. Hermione was on the verge of marching out to find him when she felt a pull and then she was sucked into a confusing view. Before her were tree roots and a prickly bush. Beyond the bush a man was tying up a distraught child who was screaming and crying in frightened German. Harry sniffed and a weird musky smell unfolded from the man and child that smelled vaguely familiar to Harry's nose and foreign to Hermione's.

_Harry—what_? Ron asked stepping into the vision.

_She's a werewolf_, Harry said, _I can smell the wolf in her, but it doesn't smell right, as though the wolf and human don't mesh right_…

_This isn't right_, Hermione said shakily, _even if she is a werewolf that man shouldn't just leave her tied up like that!_

_I agree_, Harry snarled stepping out of the bushes toward the balling child and the frightened father.

The man turned and took one look at Harry's large menacing form before dropping the rope he'd tied and fleeing. Harry barked angrily once at the retreating man as he screamed at his in his head. The little girl had stopped crying now watching harry with a pale fear.

_Oh good_, _now she's scared of you_, Ron reprimanded.

_Harry_, Hermione warned, _I want to help this girl too but if you free her…what are you going to do with her? We can't take a child with us and letting her loose on the village isn't right either_…

_Trust me_, Harry said quietly with a wolf's confidence.

Hermione broke out of the connection and looked at Ron who did the same, "What does he think he's going to do?" She asked exasperatedly.

Ron shrugged, "Hell if I know," He replied, "But we better let Mrs. Tutti know she might have another guest."

"Maybe she'll know who the child is," Hermione nodded walking back into Mrs. Tutti's shop.

In the woods Harry padded up to the quivering child slowly knowing that her transformation might take place at any time. Instinctually he knew he needed to get to her before hand to help her. He nuzzled her gently sniffing her and then sneezing disgustedly. He smelled blood on her. H had a feeling her father, if that was who the man had been, had hurt her in some way. He walked around her looking for the source of the blood being sure to keep himself low to the ground and his movements slow. He wanted to appear as non-threatening to her as possible.

She smelled spicy, a smell of wild magic Harry had encountered before. It was a woodsy spice, making Harry wonder if it was because she was a werewolf or if perhaps she had a latent gift for magic untapped or oppressed. He couldn't be sure the smell of the wolf on her was confusing his senses.

He needed to speak with the wolf within her in order to understand more fully what it was his instincts were telling him to do. He gently nuzzled her hands where they were tied to the log and looked up at her whining. As he scratched a claw at them looking at her with that same sad pathetic puppy look he often used on Hermione the little girl calmed down and slowly began to crack a hesitant smile.

_How_ old _is she_? Ron asked Harry as he stepped back into his consciousness from Mrs. Tutti's shop.

_I don't know_, Harry replied honestly, _Seven? Eight? I can't be sure._

_How did you know she was here?_ Ron asked.

_I'm not sure,_ Harry replied, _I just knew somehow that there was a pup out here…_ He looked at the smiling little girl and playfully rolled onto his back batting at her with his paws in the air and wagging his tail.

She giggled.

_It was your maternal instinct, _Ron teased.

_Coming from you that's not very reassuring_, Harry deadpanned lolling out his tongue dramatically for the girls benefit.

_And the point of rolling on your back and looking like an idiot is---_? Ron asked.

_I'm trying to calm her down_, Harry replied, _She'll be transforming soon_._ I was told it isn't a very pleasant experience._

_Right_, Ron said, _Lupin mentioned that_.

The child began to shake and fresh tears sprang to her eyes as she realized what was going to happen. Harry rolled to his feet and whined.

_Here goes_, Harry said, _I'd appreciate it if you kept quiet for a while, I need to concentrate_.

_Sure_, Ron agreed fading back into his own thoughts and listening to Hermione and Mrs. Tutti's conversation.

In the distance they heard a young scream turn into a high pitched wailing that could easily be mistaken for wind. Hermione and Ron glanced at each other perturbed as they felt Harry push his human emotions aside in horror. The two in Mrs. Tutti's kitchen closed their eyes getting a glimpse of the grotesquely painful transformation the little girl was going through. They both wondered what it was Harry was going to do but dared not intrude less they interrupt whatever it was he _was_ doing.

Harry had become human the minute the child had begun screaming. Her eyes had rolled into the back of her head in pain and Harry had cut the ropes loose with his wand grabbing onto her as she began writhing on the ground. Instinct drove him as her body struggled beneath his arms. A small hand escaped Harry's grasp clawing into the earth in front of them as each bone in that hand broke then re-grew to create the deformed half-claw half-fingers that were a werewolf's hand. She screamed and Harry slowly forced himself to go through his own transformation one bone at a time mimicking her own.

_Harry_! Ron and Hermione leapt from the table standing up and staring through the walls of the kitchen to him as they felt his pain.

_Quiet_! Harry snapped, _Get out!_

He pushed and both of them fell back into the chairs as if they had been physically slapped back into place. Mrs. Tutti was staring at them in alarm as Hermione jumped out of her chair and ran to the door Ron at her heels. The red head grabbed her shoulder before she could leap out of the door and pulled her too him.

"What the hell is he doing?!" Hermione screamed furiously.

"I don't know!" Ron yelled back, "I don't know," He said more quietly, "but we need to trust him."

"Ha!" Hermione snarled, "I've heard _that_ before!"

A howling scream came from the forest and Mrs. Tutti stepped up beside the two young adults in the doorway.

"Is something the matter?" Mrs. Tutti asked carefully watching the forest.

Hermione looked away from her glaring angrily at the door frame. Ron sighed behind her and gently let her go.

"No Mrs. Tutti," He heard himself say, "We're fine. Did we tell you about what Harry found in the forest?"

At the shake of her head Ron ushered Mrs. Tutti inside to leave Hermione standing in the door way biting her lip and crossing her arms as she glared at the direction she knew Harry was.

Harry snarled into the little girls shoulder as he felt her transformation changing to match what he was doing in his. She was whimpering and sobbing in pain and Harry had to close his eyes to continue concentrating on the feeling of each bone in his body snapping then re-forming itself. He was slowly drawing out the wolf inside her, pushing the creature to take proper shape. As a strangled sob broke through her strange half-muzzle mouth Harry had to ignore his own emotions. By doing this he was prolonging her pain, breaking down every aspect of her transformation to make her body remember the feeling of a true change. She had bitten his wrist some time during the process the smell of his own blood mixing with hers was becoming overbearing to his increasingly sensitive nose.

The moonlight shivered across his spine and he felt rather then saw the light coalesce into a form. The large silver wolf stood silently watching him as he helped the werewolf become a wolf. His awareness of his friends, of his pain washed away in the dim glow of the goddess before him. He wasn't aware he'd had tears running down his cheeks until she gently licked them away. He shivered as the last bits of the transformation occurred and he collapsed exhausted away from the small brown wolf that whimpered underneath him.

The Goddess wolf grabbed the back of the pup's neck and gently pulled the whimpering creature toward her lying down to rest the child against her. The small wolf curled up against her shivering and whimpering as the goddess gently licked her wounds. Harry panting heavily sat up on his haunches and reached out to his friends.

_It's over_, He said his mental voice quieter than normal, _Come find me. Please_.

_You stupid bloody git_, Hermione said relieved.

She ran out the door leaping into the air to become the owl that waited within her following the feel of Harry into the forest. When she came upon the Goddess and Harry she reared and transformed back into a human standing perfectly still looking at the silver wolf warily.

"Harry?" She asked noticing the small brown ball resting against the Goddess.

_It's ok Mione_, Harry said tired, _She knows your pack, she won't bite you if you don't wake the Pup up_.

Hermione gasped as she realized what he meant, _How_? She asked looking at him in Awe.

Harry gave her a wolf shrug, _I just showed her how to do it properly. She bit me when I did_.

_She bit you_? Hermione said alarmed forgetting the presence of the Goddess as she quickly made her way over to him.

_Yeah_, Harry said, _She_ _said I wouldn't contract the curse_. _Stop_ _worrying 'Mione_.

_Your exhausted_, Hermione observed placing her hands on her hips.

_Yeah_, Harry said rolling his eyes, _Fighting a werewolf's transformation kind of does that_.

_Can you change human_? Hermione asked, _Ron and Mrs. Tutti are on their way_.

_Mrs. Tutti?_ Harry asked sitting up higher and training his ears on Hermione, _Is that wise_?

_I think she's proven herself trustworthy over the past two weeks,_ Hermione admonished.

Harry looked at the silver wolf and a strange form of communication occurred that Hermione couldn't really understand. It had to do with an exchange of smell, sound, emotion, body language, the twitch of an ear, where the eyes looked or met…Hermione pulled herself out of it not quite understanding it until Harry looked at her and indulged what they said.

_She doesn't mind, _He said_, Apparently Mrs. Tutti has helped her before._

_Before?_ Hermione asked.

Harry gave her another equivalent of a wolf shrug flexing his shoulder blades at her and caulking his head. The sound of hoof beats meeting mossy ground gave way to the arrival of Ron and Mrs. Tutti who froze when she saw the silver wolf.

"Bella Donna," She breathed, "Great Madre we meet again," She immediately kneeled to the ground.

Harry Ron and Hermione looked at each other in surprise. They never showed the same sort of respect Mrs. Tutti was showing to the wolf. It had never seemed like they needed to.

_This child_, The voice startled the trio as it whispered gently into all of their minds,_ Has been misused by those who sired her. You know Our Ways. I ask you to help her._

_Could she talk before? _Ron asked.

_I assume she speaks human when she wants to,_ Hermione snapped as startled as he was_, She _is_ a _God_._

"I will help her 'Mother'," Mrs. Tutti said with reverence.

The Silver wolf looked at Harry, _You have done a great taboo._

Harry winced as he felt the weight of her words.

_But in doing so you have also done the impossible,_ The wolf's dark infinite eyes softened, _You have brought back one of my wayward children to me. You have earned the gift I have granted you and the task I give to you._

_Task?_ Harry, Hermione, and Ron said together.

_I regret the curse I placed on my child so long ago that has since been wreaking havoc in your world, _The Goddess explained_, When I was unable to undo the wrong I had wrought I had my children hunt down each of the cursed ones and destroy them. Even now a great fear festers in my children and they will kill my abominations without mercy if they ever come across one. They fear the disease. Yet you, who are newly born, were able to reverse the curse and right my wrong. _

She stood and Mrs. Tutti moved to take the sleeping pup. The Mother wolf walked toward Harry and touched his nose with her own. Harry shivered as at the too cold-too hot touch but did not move otherwise.

_Please,_ She whispered to him_, Please bring my children back to me. Please end their undeserved suffering._

The moonlight grew brighter and for a moment, Harry felt a warm human hand brush his cheek and then She was gone. He fell backwards collapsing into human form with a gasp and supporting himself with his palms. On his left cheek three claw-like scars fell down from his eye like tears ending at his cheek bone. Harry looked at his friends; they looked at him, bewilderment crossing their features. He shook and his arms fell to his weight while Harry fell to unconscious bliss.

* * *

There we are, sixth chapter with alot to digest. How did Harry know to do what he did? That will be explained in time. This is all part of the planned part and will have a major role to play in England. Note: I am in the process of learning Italian. If the Italian is wrong let me know what is wrong, and how to fix it and I will. I thought having a character named "Mrs. Tutti" as an informant was fitting. Hope there are no objections. Thats it I guess. It's way to bloody late to be writing this. So Buona Notte, and all that jazz.

-Red


	6. Moving Steadily into Purpose

**In Silence We Walk **

**Disclaimer: ** I do not own the rights to Harry Potter or any of its characters.

**Moving Steadily into Purpose**

Cecania. That had been the Pup's name given to her when she had been human. For the last two weeks that they were with Mrs. Tutti the little Pup clung to Harry as though he were her own personal Teddy Bear. No matter what he did he found her there, waiting for him with her small brown tail wagging enthusiastically and barking out happy greetings. It baffled Harry and made Hermione and Ron roar with laughter whenever he pointed it out. So it fell to him to teach the Pup the most basic of wolf instincts even though he himself was still trying to figure them out.

_She needs a pack_, Harry whined, _I can't teach her things that she'd learn with wolves who had always _been_ wolves._

"We know Harry," Hermione sighed, "We can't take her with us. The Goddess told Mrs. Tutti to help her."

"And I shall," Mrs. Tutti stated as she stepped into the room, "I know at least one of the Wolf clan in this country, or at least I am acquainted with one of them. I'll ask if they have any need of a Pup, or if they'd be willing to take Cecania in. You all need to get moving soon, staying in one place too long is dangerous."

The trio nodded simultaneously. Mrs. Tutti thought it particularly funny seeing as how Cecania was gnawing on Harry the wolf's large black ear.

She shook her head, "I do not want to know how it is you three seem to know what the other is thinking," She stated, "All ready you three have given me more than enough excitement for these old bones to handle."

Hermione shook her head, "It isn't that we don't trust you it's just…"

Mrs. Tutti held up a hand, "I know," She smiled, "I know. There are some secrets best kept hidden. Don't let anyone know that you can even communicate on such a level. It can be a good weapon."

Harry yelped as Cecania pulled on his ear harder than before. He nipped her neck with a growl and she jumped off him with her tail wagging. She pounced after him again and Harry knocked her down onto her stomach. He pressed a paw on her chest and nipped her nose. Immediately human the small girl looked at Harry with wide, shocked blue eyes. Harry moved off of her and sat next to her ignoring her as tears welled up in her eyes and her small red lips trembled.

"What did you do?" Hermione asked exasperated as the child began bawling.

Harry snapped his jaws together with a low growl and Cecania immediately shut her mouth hiccupping her sobs, _I disciplined her_, Harry answered, _She needs to know not to tug on her elders' ears_.

_Disciplined_? Ron asked, _By biting her nose_?

Harry looked at Ron levelly, _Yes_.

"What the hell?" Ron asked out loud baffled.

Harry sighed, _It's a wolf thing_, He replied by way of explanation, _Can't explain it_.

Mrs. Tutti raised an eyebrow as Hermione finished explaining what was going on, "It's a normal way for wolves to punish their pups," She said dismissively, "Now may I have a hand loading my wagon? We've a long way to go over countryside."

Ron and Hermione nodded and helped her load the small Volkswagen that sat collecting dust behind the shop. Harry stayed with Cecania to keep the young pup occupied and out of the way. Harry looked up feeling a weird tug in the direction of the forest as Cecania found a rubber ball to play with on the ground. He caulked an ear to the East lowering his other ear and concentrated. It felt as though a hair thin line were tied to one of the hairs on his head and was tugging him toward the East. He shook his head trying to rid himself of the feeling and for a minute, it worked. Then the left side of his head began to itch and the feeling was back.

With a whine Harry leaned his head over to scratch at it with his hind legs. When that didn't rid him of the feeling he shook again, this time his whole body. He yelped and whined, dragging his head against the floor. The Pup watched him with curiosity shining in her bright blue eyes. She caulked her head and spoke in German at him. He whined at her and scratched his ear. She crawled over to him and began scratching his head with her small ivory human fingers. At her touch the itching slowly dissipated.

Hermione and Ron walked into the shop to stare at Harry who looked at them with large pathetic eyes. His head lay in the little girls lap and she giggled as she scratched his head.

Ron raised an eyebrow, "You look cozy."

Harry whined back at him, _I have an itch_, he mentally pouted, _It won't go away_.

"An itch?" Hermione asked kneeling down to scratch Harry's head as well.

_Yeah, on my left side_, Harry whined.

Hermione frowned, "Great," She said, _I hope you don't have ticks_.

Ron snickered.

Harry glared at him, _I don't have ticks_, He growled.

He grabbed both of their minds and forced them to feel what he was feeling. Hermione and Ron stumbled and then immediately began scratching the _right_ side of their heads instead of the left. Harry caulked an ear at that. Was it because they were facing him or was that a side effect of their mental gift? If he felt pain in his right hand would the other two feel the pain in their left?

_I don't know_, Hermione frowned thoughtfully, _But you're right, it does itch. But not on the outside_.

_Yeah_, Ron added, _It's not coming from my skin. It's inside my head, almost behind my temple_.

_But when Cecania scratches you, you don't feel the itch_? Hermione asked.

Harry nodded.

_That is odd_…Hermione frowned, _Here, let me borrow that feeling again_.

She latched on to Harry's mind and stood slowly turning to face the same direction he was facing. The left side of her head, instead of the right, began to itch.

_Well_, She said detaching herself from Harry, _That gives me more questions than answers_…

_It kind of feels like a pull_, Harry said.

_Then maybe we should follow it and see where it leads_, Ron suggested, "Mrs. Tutti?" Ron asked, "What's east of here?"

Mrs. Tutti scratched her temple as she thought, "An abandoned town is directly east of here." She said carefully, "The town was a fishing town like ours but it fell on bad times and most of its residents abandoned it to look for better work. Why?"

Harry looked at the two of them caulking an ear. Mrs. Tutti watched them converse as she now believed they did. Slowly all three of them nodded coming to some sort of agreement and Mrs. Tutti crossed her arms waiting. Cecania looked back and forth between the elders in curiosity.

"Can we take our boat to this abandoned town?" Hermione asked at last.

"Only a ways," Mrs. Tutti answered, "The river changed course years ago, you'll be travelling up that to get to it. Then you will be travelling on foot."

Hermione nodded, "All right," She looked t her boys, "So after we're done here we head up there." She scratched her head with a frown, "This itch really is annoying."

Harry whined his agreement.

The day wore on all three doing their best to help Mrs. Tutti pack and close up her shop. Harry became more and more restless as the day continued but in the end, Mrs. Tutti drove them to the wharf and helped them pay for their passage up into the river that banked the right side of town going east into the mountains. They all hugged Mrs. Tutti feeling beyond grateful and feeling as though they could never repay all she'd done for them. She just laughed and waved a hand muttering something in Italian in embarrassment. Cecania cried and cried as she hugged Harry's furry neck. Harry endured it in silence using body language to help her calm down as Hermione assumed wolves did.

Then they got onto their boat feeling as though it were past time they had done so and began the long ride into the mountains.

***

The moon played harsh shapes on the walls of the wooden cabin. Pale hands clutched a mattress digging elongated claws into the soft material. Warm red lips gasped open and close clutching the air. Sweat matted three different colored hairs to three different heads respectfully as the two beside the pale dark haired boy mimicked his frantic movements in perfect sync.

The brunette and the red head awoke gasping as their bodies arched forcing themselves out of the horrific dream.

The red head grabbed the brunette's hand, "Harry," He gasped.

They turned their heads to stare at the black haired boy still suffering in the throes of the dream. He opened his mouth and a scream wrenched itself out of his ill-used throat sounding raw and harsh. The brunette grabbed Harry's arm.

"The sanctuary," She gasped.

The red head clasped his hand on the Brunette's hand and they both closed their eyes sinking into their shared consciousness. They moved along the familiar line of their terror stricken friend clutching onto the thread that was his mind and yanking him from the clutches of the nightmare.

_Is it open Ron_? The Brunette asked.

_Yeah_, Ron responded, _Throw him in 'Mione_. _Something made him regress, something outside. I'm gonna go check._

_Be careful,_ Hermione warned, _Only one thing could do this to him, you know how sensitive he is to them._

_I know,_ Ron drew back into himself and immediately noticed the icy cold that had engulfed the cabin.

He clenched his teeth anger forcing the cold from his blood as he kicked off the quilt and grabbed the wand that always rested beneath his pillow. Latching onto the feeling of realized freedom he let the tip of his wand glow a pearly light readying the patronus spell in his mind. The sound of free running horse beats played war drums in his mind as he crept silently across the cabin of the boat creeping toward the stairs to the deck. His wand went out the door first, then the rest of him as he climbed the stairs peaking over the top to glance outside. His breath came out in silent puffs of icy smoke as he breathed slowly. His eyes slowly roved to the right and the left of the boat. The world was completely silent, dark.

The moonlight, though it shined in the sky above them was dampened at the surface of the ground as though a screen had been placed over the light. Ron breathed in slowly; he could smell them, the scent of decaying flesh and ice. His anger held the despair they whispered to him but he knew it would only be a few minutes before they felt him. They would know him as he knew them.

He retreated, the light of the wand extending only around him as he walked back to the bedroom in the cabin and shut the door behind him. Hermione looked up expectantly holding the cold hand of their brother. Harry's eyes were wide open his mouth contorted in a silent scream. Ron froze.

_Is he_…? Ron stared at Harry in horror.

"In the sanctuary," Hermione whispered, "Safe."

_Then that's where we need to be_, Ron said, _Can we coax him into his wolf form somehow_?

Hermione shook her head worried, _I don't know_.

_We can't be human right now,_ Ron pushed his urgency to Hermione through their link, _Those are Dementors out there. They'll find us if we're human._

Hermione leaned over placing her lips next to Harry's ear, "Harry," She whispered, "Change your form. Please"

Ron shifted his muscles contorting his body and popping his bones as he became a large tawny stallion. The boat rocked a bit beneath his sudden added weight then stabilized. Hermione could feel the air shift becoming colder. Ron's change from a human mind to an animal one confused the Dementors, made them curious. She could feel their awareness of her, their hunger. Her body changed on its own morphing to that of an owl. She screamed at Harry through their link and flew down it to the sanctuary.

_Harry please!_ She cried, _Change to your wolf form! Hurry!_

She felt him change, his mind making the transference from human to wolf easily and happily. He didn't want the human emotions the Dementors were pushing him to feel. They _hurt_.

Hermione moved back out of the sanctuary watching the dark room that contained their physical forms with large golden eyes turning her head in possible directions to watch shadows glide across the windows as the Dementors inspected the boat. A loan howl in the distance sounded far and muffled in the cold cabin. The eerie sound couldn't grasp the unnatural air and so could barely be heard. Hermione ruffled her feathers perturbed and scared. The feeling of hopelessness was one she was accustomed too but a feeling she'd hope never to feel again since they escaped their unwarranted prison.

_Hermione_, Harry's voice whispered wild and terrified in their link, _come back to the Sanctuary_.

_What, and wake up in Azkaban again without any of us being aware?_ Hermione snapped her fear making her sound more harsh, _No_ _thanks. I'm going to stay here and make sure they don't find us._

Harry and Ron hesitated uneasy.

_Go to the Sanctuary_, Hermione urged, _We'll be fine_.

Harry muzzled her feathers sniffing her with a small whine. Ron snorted beside the door and shifted his large body more comfortably. They would stay with her. Hermione slapped a wing over Harry's head and pulled his muzzle against her side glaring at the door. Ron snorted again but this time in amusement. Hermione shot him a glare to. Harry's lips parted revealing sharp canines in a doggy grin for a moment then a wave of cold washed over them all and Harry's mouth clenched shut his ears folding back and tail crushed against his legs. Even in animal form the three could feel the remnants of the effects Dementors had on their human bodies.

_Hey_, Ron pushed through the murky air reaching his friends mind effortlessly, _Remember last year when the twins left? Or was it two years ago?_

Hermione mentally smiled at Ron, _Yeah, we remember, it took Filch weeks to clean up that swamp_. _It was one of the most brilliant masterpieces done with a wand ever made. I never knew what geniuses those two could be._

_I'll never forget Umbridge's face,_ Ron mentally grinned,_ And that thing you did with the centaurs…Brilliant._

_We could have died,_ Harry reminded them,_ We almost did in the ministry._ Hermione could feel him trembling against her.

_But we didn't._ She said,_ There were loses, terrible losses but we survived. We always survive._

_Escaping Azkaban was one of the greatest things we'd ever done,_ Ron said quietly,_ I'll never forget how we felt that morning. Yeah, the sunburn hurt, but it was the most wonderful pain I'd ever felt._

_Yeah,_ Harry agreed slowly calming down as he remembered the stark realization that they were free.

The three quieted reveling in the memory of that feeling keeping the cold at bay by the sheer mention of that morning. Warmth blossomed, spreading through their limbs as they looked at each other. The Dementors' effect was fading, the sky outside the windows slowly brightening. Apparently their animal forms were enough to fool the Dementors' senses.

Slowly Hermione stretched allowing her wings to become limbs and her body to elongate into that of a human woman. Ron curled in on himself to do the same becoming a human male once again. Harry remained canine his haunches still trembling after the effect the Dementors had wrought through him.

_How long?_ Hermione asked Ron.

Ron opened the door and carefully peered out into the rest of the cabin. Pink light drew soft lines on the wood from the windows. Dust danced in the quiet sunbeams. Not a thing was out of place giving the room a surreal glow after that nights scare.

_It's Dawn_, He replied opening the door more widely, _I don't think they ever came into the Cabin. Odd, usually they're a little more thorough_.

_I'm glad they were sloppy,_ Harry muttered shuddering, _I'm going to try to go back to sleep. I'm exhausted._

Hermione and Ron nodded at him as he curled up on the bed wrapping his wolf body into a small ball with his tail resting on his nose. Hermione grinned at Ron and Ron shook his head.

"We did it again," he said quietly as he and Hermione walked out of the room shutting the door so Harry could sleep, "We escaped them."

Hermione grabbed Ron's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, "Yeah," She said with a smile, "we did. But what about next time? Someone's searching for us diligently enough to place Dementors in Germany. We need to be more cautious than ever."

"We'll paint the boat then," Ron said, "Create new names for ourselves. Become entirely different people."

Hermione nodded biting her lip, "We'll have to think of something to call each other in public, like code names or something."

"Why would we need that?" Ron asked.

"For imposters," Hermione stated, "All that time in Azkaban I'm sure they have ways of impersonating us. They had plenty of access to our hair or other pieces of our bodies, like our blood, that can be used in polyjuice potions. I don't want to take the risk…what?"

Ron was giving Hermione a look she usually only reserved for him when he was being daft. Slowly he pointed to his temple tapping his forehead twice with raised eyebrows.

_Did you forget?_ He asked silently, _No one can impersonate this._

Hermione blushed, _Oh._ She grinned,_ Right._

Ron laughed, "It's not often I can get one up on you."

"It won't happen again," Hermione warned.

"Are you sure about that?" Ron asked with a wide grin, "We do share minds now."

_Would you two quit flirting so I can sleep?_ Harry's voice traveled groggily through their link, _I'd appreciate it._

Ron and Hermione looked at each other and blushed looking away from each other wondering. Was it flirting? Or was it friendly brotherly/sisterly banter? That part of the emotions was strange and mixed now that they shared a mind and their magic. What were they to each other now? Hermione and Ron had no doubt that Harry was their brother, so what did that make them?

"Ron?" Hermione asked uncertainly reaching out with her mind, "What are we exactly?"

Ron looked at her troubled and sat down at their little fold out table with a sigh, "I think we both know," He said.

"We're family," Hermione said firmly, "Our magic runs through us like blood." She looked at Ron with worried brows, "But that makes me a little sad."

Ron smiled at her and pulled her over to him so he could hug her burying his face in her frizzy hair, "Yeah," He said, "It makes me a little sad too." He pulled back to look at her taking her face in his hands, "It also kind of makes me happy to know that I have more family and to know I can love you, and you me, without any strings attached."

Hermione smiled slowly, "So now I have an over protective brother is that it?"

"Of course," Ron grinned, "You and I share unusual history for siblings; I don't think I'll ever get used to the thought of you with another man if and when you do find one. Even if I don't need you in that way anymore."

"You can say don't want that Ron." Hermione chuckled, "I think the thought of being with you now would be…awkward, and weird."

"Gross," Ron agreed with a grin.

"Well then brother of mine," Hermione smirked pushing his shoulder playfully, "Funny how I'd always wanted bothers, and my two best friends become that by accident. The question is…what now?"

"Now, now we plan. We need to change the face of this boat that's for certain." He grinned at Hermione, "We were always sort of like siblings before anyways," Ron stated grabbing some canned food out of the cabinet and a frying pan.

Hermione made a face, "Please don't say that."

Ron grimaced, "Oh, right."

They looked at each other and the tension they'd been feeling since the 'great escape' fell away. They laughed, and elbowed each other grinning as they did so. The feeling of familiarity, of oneness with the other and with Harry was such a good feeling. The feeling they had also escaped the clutches of Dementors a second time added to their euphoria. They smiled as they cooked their breakfast knowing that while all things considered, they were still on the run, in that moment they were safe and that was all that mattered.

***

_Don't you think it a bit strange?_ Harry asked lounging on the side of the boat with his legs dangling over his bare toes inches from the water, _We've been riding through these mountains the past two days and barely the sound of even a bird has been heard._

"Yeah," Ron agreed walking over to him, "That is a bit strange."

_The Dementors are four miles south of us and heading east, I think,_ Hermione said from below deck, _Even their influence can't be that great that it would travel throughout these forests. They don't exactly affect animals do they?_

_That itching, _Harry scratched his temple keeping his eyes closed, _It's gotten worse._

_We noticed,_ Ron and Hermione thought in synch.

Harry looked at Ron and grinned.

"Since when did you feel the itch when you were human?" Ron asked placing a can of paint down next to the side of the boat, "I thought you only felt it when in wolf form."

"I must be close," Harry croaked then coughed, _It's been steadily worse the deeper we've gone into the mountains. Where did Ms. Tutti say that town was?_

"Oi," Ron frowned at Harry, "You need to keep trying to talk human mate. Your vocal cords won't get any better using just this." He tapped his head.

_It hurts to talk,_ Harry scowled,_ You know that. The Dementors were here two days ago, let me heal._

"Your throat won't heal if you don't use it," Hermione walked up on deck with arms full of painting equipment, "It's a muscle, like any muscle it needs to be used."

Harry scowled deeper at his friends and grabbed the low railing pushing himself over the side and splashing into the deep river.

_I use it plenty when I eat_, Came Harry's reply from under water.

"Oh right," Hermione rolled her eyes, "That's mature."

Ron shook his head, "You sure his animal was a wolf and not a monkey?" He asked, "He certainly acts like a chimp for all that he likes high places and swinging over the side of the boat."

_Do you want proof?_ Harry growled at them as he surfaced shaking his head like a dog spraying water everywhere.

"Merlin Harry," Ron sighed tying a rope to the paint canister and lowering it down to Harry, "It was a joke. You've been a right bloody pain since we ran into the Dementors."

Harry sobered hearing a reprimand in Ron's voice and feeling it through his mind, _It's this itching_, He said scratching the back of his head this time, _It's so curst annoying. It won't go away. No matter where I turn it's there_.

_You sure it's just the itching?_ Hermione asked leaning on the railing with her head caulked to one side the expression thoughtful, _You sure it isn't the nightmares?_

Harry didn't answer instead he lowered his head into the water until only the top of his head and his bright green eyes could be visible glaring reproachfully up at them.

Hermione sighed, he was like a child sometimes, or a pup really. He hated to admit it when he was scared. Hated his own bedtime weaknesses. Ron and Hermione shared his nightmares so they knew his mind, and knew that it bothered him that they did. Hermione sighed knowing when to drop something even if it was only prolonging the inevitable. He'd tell them when he was ready to talk. She hoped.

"All right, Harry keep hold of that paint," Hermione called, "We're going to move this boat to shallower waters so we can paint her up properly." She grinned at Ron, "She'll be a new lady when we're done with her."

They used their wands to push and direct the boat to the side of the river until Harry was walking along beside it with paint can in hand. He loped over to the front of the boat where Ron tossed his wand to him. Then he helped pull the boat forward with his wand until it was out of the water and stable on the ground. They used a stationary charm to keep the boat from tipping and to keep the different tides from grabbing it and pulling it back out to the river.

Hermione jumped down with camping gear Mrs. Tutti had given them and began to set up camp. While Hermione did that the boys used their wands to dry the sides of their boat. Hermione came and helped opening the cans of paint and putting together the paint rollers. They worked the rest of the day painting the sides of the boat transforming her from the stolen and beat up boat she was into a new beauty with a new name. They weren't sure it would work for the authorities, but at first glance the boat was brand new. The sun was setting by the time they gave her a new name: libertà dalla paura. It was Italian in honor of Mrs. Tutti.

They stood back looking at their creation with satisfied grins. The sun set casting a golden glow on the new white paint. They'd chosen forest green for the trim, a simple white for the body. They'd re-stained the banisters a dark mahogany brown and stained the rest of the exposed wood the same color. It was simple, very little variability allowed it to blend in with other boats more easily. The fact it was a seafaring vessel would be hard to mask but they were Wizards, it wouldn't be too hard to cast riverboat glamour after all. The only reason they hadn't done that for the paint and stain was in case there were wards along the river that would see through the glamour. The fear that there was nothing they could do if that happened while passing it off as a riverboat wasn't as large as the fear that it might be recognized by some official as a _stolen_ boat.

They fished the rest of the evening catching a few fresh water river fish none of them could name and built a campfire to cook their food. Ron helped with some amusing results. Harry and Hermione insisted on using as little magic as was possible fueled by Hermione's memories of camping as a child with her Muggle parents. Ron used his wand to light the fire getting fed up with the Muggle method of two sticks crossing as Hermione had been trying to teach him.

They sat by the fire for a long time laughing and telling stories ignoring the knowledge that just miles away Dementors patrolled the country side.

***

Harry awoke kicking off the quilt he was under gasping for breath his chest heaving up and down slowly as he got his bearings. He wiped the back of his hand against his sweaty forehead letting out a long silent sigh. Hermione and Ron still slept, a miracle in its own right considering the dreams he'd been having. Harry sighed feeling them in his mind. It was rare, but each of them had been having separate dreams. The itching was gone.

Harry got up, moving gracefully, his hands and feet touching the blanket the three shared with very little noise. He crawled across the "bed" to the tent flap entrance and carefully opened it to peer outside. His nostrils flared, he could smell something that didn't belong, something that wasn't right…and it was female.

Harry twitched and slapped a hand to his nose trying not to sneeze. The smell made his nose itch but it was a familiar one. It was similar to the memory of his dulled human senses before he was awakened into the wolf he now was. The memory pinned it as the same weird musky smell that hovered around Remus Lupin. The smell of a werewolf.

Harry closed the tent flap thinking rapidly. Was the itching he'd been feeling for the past few weeks, was that a direct result of the proximity of the werewolf? Bbecause he had helped force a werewolf into its inner wolf form and thus healed her…did he now have some sort of werewolf radar? The Mother had asked him to find other werewolves and restore them to their wolf heritage…was this itching her doing? Or was it a side effect of him being a human before he was a wolf?

_Too many damn bloody questions_, He thought irritably.

He stepped out into their campground crawling with his feet first and crouching low to the ground his eyes, ears, and nose alert for anything unusual. His muscles, still skinny but lean rippled beneath his skin as he moved hinting at a power that wasn't readily apparent when one glanced at him. One of the best side effects of what he had become in Harry's opinion.

Harry froze crouching lower his body ready to spring into his wolf form at a seconds notice. The rustle of leaves was like a shout in the eerie silence of the forest. Harry breathed in the scent slowly, his heightened senses taking her smell in. She was incredibly close. She was also very aware of him, _that_ he could feel in his very bones. Her gaze was like a ray of heat raking the back of his head. He turned whipping his body around in a ring of dust, and for one miniscule second large forest green eyes framed by a pale face and wavy wild brown hair stared back at him before she turned tail and fled.

Harry jumped muscles growing and shrinking as fur exploded from his skin in an itchy wave chasing after her. He felt Hermione and Ron wake up startled as adrenaline rushed through his magical core giving chase to an elusive werewolf. She knew the terrain better then he so even on two human legs she could quickly outsmart him with her knowledge of the land.

He continuously glimpsed the tips of her hair disappear behind each tree trunk always one step ahead of him in their chase. He rounded a bend following her trail and only just jumped out of the way when a slender arm shot out from behind the tree a knife clutched in her hand pointing toward him. He rolled beneath it coming to his feet facing her. She was all ready up and running again. Harry didn't chase wondering if maybe she thought he was hunting her when the exact opposite was true. He sat and changed himself back to human his more vulnerable form.

He heard her stop realizing he wasn't giving chase.

"Wait," He croaked cursing his rusty vocal cords, "I'm not here to hurt you, I'm not hunting," He coughed and rubbed his throat trying to speak a little louder.

Harry grinned a little as several inappropriate German words were sent his way. She was still moving by the sound of her voice. Smart not to stay in one spot if she felt she could help it.

An owl landed on a tree near him, _Ron stayed at camp, what's going on?_

_Werewolf_, Harry said, _She almost tricked me into running into a knife. She's smart, and scared_. Harry sniffed, _The smell of her fear of me is overpowering, I wonder why_.

_Yeah, I wonder,_ Hermione drawled sending an image of him tearing out of the campground into the forest with his teeth bared and his hackles raised.

Harry winced, "Please," He called out as loud as his voice would let him, "I just want to talk!"

_Bet you wished you spoke more after Azkaban now_, Hermione reprimanded.

_Shut it,_ Harry glared up at her as she preened her feathers, _You're not helping._

Hermione hooted above him giving the equivalent of a snicker in owl form.

Harry ignored Hermione, "Really, I mean it. I'm bloody English if you couldn't tell. Whatever beef you have with any local wolves has nothing to do with me."

_Can she even hear you?_ Hermione asked curious, _She's_ _far enough away that I can't see her through the brush and it's not like you're talking very loudly._

_Yeah, _Harry said,_ She may not be a full wolf, but Remus had impeccably good hearing if you remember._

Harry waited for a response, but he got none. He waited until he knew she wasn't nearby anymore knowing she'd left. Harry frowned wondering if he should track her or if he should wait. Something told him she'd come back out of curiosity, but was he willing to risk losing her?

Harry hesitated taking a step forward and then turned heading back to camp.

_Your not going after her?_ Hermione asked flying next to him.

_No_, Harry shook his head_, Call it a hunch, but I think she'll come to us._

_What makes you say that?_ Hermione asked.

Harry looked sidelong at Hermione with a wry smirk, _She reminds of you._

Hermione pushed up in an aerial halt for a moment, _What's that supposed to mean?_

Harry chuckled, _Just that she was curious_.

_Uh-huh,_ Hermione scowled as well as she could with her owl face and flew ahead of Harry.

Harry gave her his most innocent wolfish grin and jogged lightly to keep up with her, _What, you don't believe me?_

_I know you,_ Hermione snorted a light hoot, _well enough to know when you aren't telling me everything your thinking. I can hear your thoughts remember. Still, thanks for the compliment I suppose. I would have probably done the same thing with the knife_.

Harry felt her grin mentally at him and he barked out a laugh imagining Hermione with a knife being chased through a forest. That was why he'd told her the werewolf had reminded him of her. It's the one thought that had gone through his _own_ head before _he_ was nearly skewered.

Harry changed back into a wolf to cover more distance back to the camp. He'd run farther then he'd thought. One of his ears caulked back behind him. The back of his head felt warm "She" was watching them as Hermione swooped down to playfully clip his ear with her wing. He nipped playfully back knowing she would fly out of the way at a quick enough speed that there was no way he'd catch her. Harry loped along back to the boat and their tent with a very large grin.

***

"So as far as fake names go…" Ron was repairing a net his muscles twitching nervously as they conversed the next day, "Hermione's should be a nice, normal English name. No offense 'Mione, but your name isn't exactly inconspicuous."

Harry stared at the forest line knowing they were being watched. He'd been forbidden to do anything about it even though every instinct in him told him to draw his wand and face the possible threat of a werewolf with both feet planted firmly in the ground.

"I know," Hermione nodded, "And I was thinking about 'Alice' or 'Jane', or something like 'Trish'?"

Harry and Ron looked at each other with lidded eyes both of them thinking the same thing, _Jane_, they thought in unison.

Hermione frowned, "What's wrong with Alice?"

"Too proper sounding," Ron stated, "Sounds like a mouse."

Hermione raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms, "And 'Trish'?" She asked, "What's wrong with that?"

"_It's a cat name_," Ron said and Harry thought.

"All right then," Hermione said rolling her eyes, "what about you then Ron?"

"I all ready have a normal name," Ron said, "My names nice and dull."

_Ed_, Harry thought with a grin, _His name should be Eddie_.

Both Hermione and Ron scrunched their noses up at his suggestion, "Oh yeah that might work if he were a little boy .Would you at least _try_ to talk?"

Harry frowned, _What's wrong with Eddie?_ He asked ignoring Hermione's question.

"It's a dog name," Ron explained.

"How is that--?" Harry croaked.

"It just is," Ron said, "I was thinking Shawn or David would do."

_Shawn_, Harry said.

"David," Hermione replied.

They looked at each other and laughed.

"Well at least we have Harry's name," Ron grinned.

Harry looked at Ron quizzically, _What do you mean you have my name?_

"Well we were talking about what might be a good name for 'our dog'," Ron smirked.

"Sorry Harry but because you're roll is 'our dog' we figured it'd be fitting to name you ourselves," Hermione explained.

"Then what is it?" Harry asked a little peeved,_ If it's Fido or something else just as stupid I'll make your clothes my new chew toy, _He grinned evilly.

"Oh calm down Harry," Hermione smiled, "You'll like the name we chose for you."

_And that name is?_ Harry asked.

"Loki," Ron grinned, "The Norse Trickster."

_Oh_, Harry smiled, _Cool. Wait. Didn't Loki become an evil maniac near the end? And wasn't he sometimes female?_

Hermione rolled her eyes, "Don't worry about it. We just thought it was neat sounding."

"It is," Harry said with grin.

He glanced over at the tree line with the corner of his eyes, the itching had stopped. Harry assumed it was because the werewolf in the trees had been watching them ever since he'd left her alone. She'd watched Ron and Hermione turn into their animal forms and race across the length of the shore with Harry running along after them proving as an obstacle in their competition. It had been fun, Ron had gotten fed up with Harry's interfering because Hermione, being the flying animal could clearly outdistance him and Harry, getting in between his legs hindered him. Harry had leapt out of the way when Ron's powerful jaws had nipped at him.

The competition ended then because Ron decided chasing Harry was much easier than trying to outrun a flying owl. Hermione had fallen from the sky laughing as she watched Ron's large stallion form chase Harry back to camp as Harry playfully darted in and out of reach of Ron's horse jaws.

Harry wondered just what the werewolf thought of the three of them as she had watched them play. He snorted a little in amusement and turned his ear back to the conversation that had continued on after he'd gone off into dreamland.

"I just don't know what to think," Hermione sighed, "You-Know-Who may be a maniac, but the barrier around Britain is only going to do one thing: alert the Muggles to our existence."

"Maybe that's what he wants," Ron said, "Maybe he wants the world to know we exist so that he can assert power over the 'inferior Mugles'."

"That's ridiculous," Hermione frowned, "Besides that, there are more of them then there are of us," She shook her head, "We'll have another massive witch hunt on our hands, only worse because they have guns. We can escape burning, and I'm sure our shields can block bullets but for how long?"

"We'll be dissected," Harry said shuddering, _I know how Muggles deal with what they don't understand, if they realize we can be used as weapons they'll hunt us down, dissect us to see what makes us tick, then they'll force us to work for their governments._

"Muggles can't do that," Ron scoffed, "They wouldn't, the Ministry wouldn't let them."

Harry grinned, "I'm being dramatic," His face sobered, _But still, I don't think all Muggles would take kindly to their world being turned upside down. Look at my Uncle and Aunt. They hate everything magical or _abnormal_. Our existence is a breach of their beliefs._

"Not to mention the religious zealots," Hermione shook her head, "This is going to be a mess."

Ron looked back and forth between the two confused, "What do you mean our existence?" He asked with a frown, "Isn't that the same with the Pure Bloods?"

"Huh?" Harry asked.

"The Pure Bloods," Ron said, "Don't they view any human without magic as something diseased and wrong? Even Muggle borns are looked at the same way because they came from something unmagical. No offense Hermione."

"None taken," Hermione held a hand up in surrender, "And you're right, they do."

Harry smiled a little, "And here I am doing the same thing," He said wryly, _I'm automatically assuming that the consequences of Muggles knowing about us will be negative. What about all the things we could give them? The medical field will never be the same. Household charms will revolutionize the cleaning industry. Pictures and toys will move on their own…We could grow rich in a world where magic could be bought._

Hermione nodded, "Really, we probably shouldn't even be worrying about what might or might not happen." She said, "What's important right now is what we're going to do about finding a way back into England. If it is as Mrs. Tutti says, we'll have some trouble getting passed that barrier."

Ron nodded, "We're not even sure what types of spells were used in creating it."

Harry said nothing shying away from the conversation as he played with some pebbles clicking the stones together.

"Harry?" Hermione asked, "What do you think?"

"I think we shouldn't worry about it until we come across it." Harry said quietly.

Hermione and Ron stilled and they looked at each other, "Oh," Ron said, "I'm going to…Uh, I'll just go check something on the boat." He stood up as Harry's head shot up with worried eyes.

"Ron," He pleaded, "I'm sorry."

Ron shook his head as he walked off, "Don't apologize." He grabbed hold of a rope and pulled himself onto the moored boat.

Hermione looked at Harry, "Harry, is this about that…thing we talked about?"

Harry looked back at the pebbles, "I'm not ready Hermione, I'm just not. I'm sorry."

Hermione nodded and bit her lip, "I think the news Mrs. Tutti gave us about no information going in or out of England…I think it really shook Ron, I know it shook me…We have…"

"Family," Harry smiled sadly at Hermione, "I know."

Hermione gave a strained chuckle, "Although I'm pretty sure my parents are still in Australia unaware they ever had a daughter…"

Harry reached out a hand and Hermione stood abruptly, "I'm going to check on Ron, sorry Harry."

Harry pulled his hand back and shook his head forcing a smile, "It's ok," He said, "I understand."

Hermione turned and kneeled in the dirt hugging Harry, "I know you understand, and I know you blame yourself when we're hurting. So don't give me a forced smile." She pulled back and tapped the side of her head, "Don't forget, whether you like it or not you're our family too."

Harry smiled feeling reassured, "Go on then," he said, "I'll be fine, Ron needs you."

Hermione nodded and stood again. She became an owl and flew up onto the boat rather than take Ron's way of boarding. Harry watched the firelight glance off of her feathers until she disappeared on the boat. He closed his eyes listening to Ron and Hermione talk and then sighed. Ron was worried about his family, he had every right to be, but he was upset because he understood and knew that they would not be going back yet. Hermione convinced Ron that they would continue to search for information as they traveled. Harry closed his eyes and sent a silent promise to Ron, they'd figure out everything they could about the barrier so that they could be insured a way back when the time was right.

Rustling in the bushes alerted Harry to the werewolf who had finally decided to make her move. He turned his attention away from his friends. Now he had a different matter to focus on.

He didn't look at her as he felt her approach, she hesitated often stopping and going as though trying to convince herself it was worth understanding her curiosity. When she reached the outer rim of the light of the fire she spoke.

"I am not staying here," She said carefully in accented English, "I merely want some questions answered."

Harry smiled wryly not looking at her instead opting to watch the flames of their campfire knowing that if he looked at her she might bolt.

"Ok," He said to the flames, "Ask your questions."

"You are a wolf," She stated.

Harry glanced at her through the corner of his eyes, "That isn't a question," He said with some surprise.

"You are a wolf but you did not intend to kill me when you chased me." Another statement.

"That's right," Harry nodded, "I didn't ever intend to hurt you."

She took a few more steps forward into the light. Harry looked at her sensing he could do so now. A wild woman stared at him her face masked in suspicion, her eyes filled with confusion. Harry noted she was short, stocky with a delicate heart shaped face and a wild mien of tangled brown hair falling around her stocky shoulders like a cascade. She moved with inhuman grace and stood always ready for a fight. Her clothes were old, no better than rags wrapped and tied around her petite form. Harry had the feeling from her eyes that she was much older then she appeared.

"What's your name?" He asked carefully.

"Why should you care?" She snapped, "I'm asking the questions, not you. You are a wolf, yet you do not intend to hunt me." She shook her head, "It's unnatural. What clan are you from? Who is your pack? And what are those other two you travel with? Human's don't become owls, or horses."

Harry raised an eyebrow, "I…They are my pack. I don't belong to a…clan."

Her eyes narrowed and Harry saw a flash of anger shot in his direction, "Wolves don't pack with those who are not their kin." She snapped, "We all come from a clan. That is the way of the mother."

Harry raised both eyebrows this time, "You are not a wolf," He said carefully.

She moved then, faster then he'd given her credit for, she was on him with a knife at his throat before he could even blink. Harry lay completely still before instinct kicked in with a vengeance. He slapped his hand to the ground and a wave of wind pushed the werewolf from Harry's body. She flew off him as he pounced on her gripping the inside of her wrist and pushing into her nerves until she let go of the knife. He became a wolf snapping at her throat with a growl.

She stilled completely and relaxed her muscles in a sign of submission as she had lost her weapon and had no way of challenging him. She looked at Harry with wide dark green eyes and Harry snorted in satisfaction becoming human again as he pulled himself off of her.

For a few moments no words were said as they glared at each other.

Then when she made no move to get up Harry snorted and looked away from her, "You can get up whenever you want to. I'm sorry if I insulted you."

She got up with a frown rubbing her pale throat, "Why are you apologizing to me?" She asked bitterly, "You clearly showed me that you are Alpha."

Harry sighed, "I didn't know," He said honestly, "Thought you were a werewolf."

"I am," She snapped bitterly, "But I was a wolf first before I was an abomination. To my clan I am not even that. I am dead." She looked at him with sharp eyes, "And you," She said accusingly, "You should kill me. I am diseased, an abomination. By the will of the mother and for your own safety you should destroy me. But you do not. And your…pack…" She winced, "It simply is not natural."

Harry listened to her with great curiosity. Seeing his silent curiosity made the werewolf wince with displeasure.

"What is wrong with you?" She snapped.

Harry scratched the back of his head and sighed, "I haven't been a wolf for very long," he admitted, "It's all a bit new to me still."

The Werewolf reeled away from him as though she'd been slapped, "What do you mean you haven't been a 'Wolf' for 'very long'? You're either a wolf or you're not."

"I was human till just a few weeks ago." Harry shrugged.

"Blasphemy," The werewolf hissed moving away from him as though he were a disease.

"No," Harry said honestly, "It's true, till just a few weeks ago I was a normal Human Wizard just looking to become an animagus. I had no clue the Mother would call to me."

The werewolf stood backing away from him shaking her head, "Impossible," She said, "No human can become a wolf. It isn't natural. The curse was created because Human's tried to defy nature and the Mother by becoming us. It's what created the disease in the first place. All wolves know this."

Harry shook his head, "It's not impossible," He raised a hand and it became a black furry paw, "See? Besides I took the trial, and I passed," He blushed a little, "Barely, but I did and now I am what I am. A wolf."

She shook her head and Harry noticed her eyes becoming a little golden, a hint he'd picked up from Lupin ages ago that meant he was becoming enraged. Harry growled deep in the back of his throat.

"Stop it," He snapped, "I'm sorry to have ruined you're perfect little black and white view of the world. If you want proof then just ask your Goddess, or better yet believe your own bloody eyes." He stood and she shrank back as the full force of the Alpha male washed over her, "Me and my pack are wizards. My friends are animagi meaning they can turn into an animal at will but retain their human minds. My animagi was a wolf but because that falls under the jurisdiction of the Moon I had to take the trial. It was either become a wolf or go mad. I made my choice for the sake of my pack. The Mother chose me and accepted me obviously or I'd be something worse then what you are now."

He took a deep breath then his eyes widened and he began to cough violently. The Werewolf heard the cry of an owl and stood frozen as the owl she'd watched earlier swooped down from the boat and transformed into a young woman before her very eyes running toward Harry who had fallen to his knees in his fit.

"Damnit Harry!" She snapped as she hit his back and clutched his shoulder her face contorted in worry, "This is why we keep telling you to talk normal! You pushed yourself to talk too much, Ron is bringing some water."

The werewolf jumped as the tall read head from earlier landed with a thump behind her having jumped off of the boat. He walked passed her much more calmly then the owl had flown giving her a glance with a single raised eyebrow before handing a water bottle to Harry.

Harry grabbed the water and gulped it down gratefully. His breathing calmed and he grinned at his two friends. They relaxed beside him and rolled their eyes at each other as Harry chuckled. The werewolf had the sense that they spoke on a level she could not comprehend. She backed away from these strange creatures shaking her head confused and upset.

"Wait," Harry croaked and gulped down more water, "Don't run away, I came here because I can help you. I can cure you."

The Werewolf froze and unchecked fury contorted her face as she stared at the strange trio, "I may be able to accept you are a wolf who was a human, but _that_ is impossible." Her limbs shook with her emotions, "No one can help me." She snapped, "I am dead!" She turned on her heel and bolted back into the forest.

The trio watched her go, Harry worriedly held a hand up as though willing her to stop. His arm dropped and Ron and Hermione looked at each other with raised eyebrows.

"Well," Ron said, "That could have gone better." Harry glared at Ron and Ron winced, "What? It's the truth!" He said to Harry as Harry walked away from his friends into the tent closing the tent flap behind him with a snap.

"Give him some time," Hermione said quietly, "This is his first encounter with one of the Mother's former children. I have a feeling she'll be back."

"Yeah," Ron said watching Harry leave, _Sorry Harry_.

* * *

And thus begins the next big step in the plot. Aka: the beginings of Wolf polotics. This is going to be fun. ^_^ Hope you all enjoyed it.

-Red


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